Helping and setting an example: € 600,000 donated to people in the war zone

01.04.2022. Ukraine is still firmly in the grip of war several weeks after it started. Millions of people are living in fear and terror, having lost their homes, and with an uncertain future. Helping people wherever possible is the order of the day for the employees and the owner of the Friedhelm Loh Group: Besides numerous relief measures, they have together donated €600,000 for people in the war zone. Last year, a huge amount was given to help the German flood disaster victims. The Group has donated no less than € 1.5 million to people in need during the last eight months, giving hope where it is most needed.

Millions of people from Ukraine are fleeing westwards, leaving their lives behind to find refuge from the war raging in their homeland. Prof. Friedhelm Loh, Owner and CEO of the Friedhelm Loh Group promised: “We will help wherever we can!” Then, together with the group’s employees, he followed up his words with deeds in the form of a variety of aid and donation campaigns.

Thanks to the great readiness of its employees to donate, the family business quickly raised € 600,000 for the people of Ukraine, with the owner tripling the amount collected. Prof. Friedhelm Loh thanked its employees: “You have shown your readiness to help and have sent the message that you sympathise with people who are experiencing war, who fear for their lives, or are on the run. This is a fine example of conscientiousness. This is charity in action.” This aid money is finding its way from the Rittal Foundation, a non-profit Friedhelm Loh Group foundation to humanitarian organisations helping in the war-torn country. Recipients include Aktion Deutschland Hilft, World Vision, Humedica, FeG Auslandshilfe, Ukrainehilfe Breitscheid, and Médecins sans Frontières.

Swift and immediate action

Two weeks ago, to give immediate help to Ukrainians who were directly affected, the Friedhelm Loh Group, together with the Rittal Sales department, the employees of Rittal Poland, the city of Haiger and the Rittal Foundation, brought over 38 family members of Ukrainian FLG employees. Their former place of work, the Rittal subsidiary and one location of the Digital Technology Poland software company are currently closed for security reasons. For the most part, the employees themselves, all men, have had to stay in Ukraine.

Group employees at Haiger and Monheim are also helping: They have hired buses to collect refugees from the border, while others are making their homes available to accommodate them. In addition, the Group’s trainees have set up their own aid campaign for Ukraine.

The Rittal Foundation supports the Krefeld-based Hilfswerk Immanuel relief organisation, which helps those in need in disasters and other emergencies. The non-profit organisation has launched the “Hilfe im Karton” (“Help in a Box”) campaign, delivering food parcels to Ukrainians in the areas affected. Initiated by a volunteer and employee of Cideon (a member of the Friedhelm Loh Group), the Rittal Foundation is sponsoring the project to the tune of € 5,000. This means that 200 packages will arrive where help is most needed.

Sticking together, bearing responsibility and showing commitment! These values guide both employees and management in their actions. Every year, employees donate to social causes, for example, following last summer’s flood disaster in Germany, when they collected € 930,000 within a very short time in 2021. This was the highest donation in the company’s history. The money quickly and pragmatically found its way to aid projects and private individuals via donation accounts. Together with the Ukraine aid, the group has raised € 1.5 million for good causes in just under eight months. “I am profoundly impressed by the commitment shown by those around me. These are signs of charity that give us confidence and, at the same time, make us grateful for the freedom we enjoy,” Professor Loh added.