Mercer Stendal donates safety shoes to the German Red Cross

Arneburg, May 9, 2025 – On May 9, 2025, Mercer Stendal will donate 245 pairs of safety shoes worth around €19,000 to the Östliche Altmark e.V. district association of the German Red Cross (DRK). The donation will be used for volunteer rescue work.

A large donation was handed over on May 9, 2025, at the gates of the Arneburg pulp mill. Michael Jakubek, HR Manager at Mercer Stendal, presented Sven Gauter, Head of Supply and Logistics at the DRK Kreisverband Östliche Altmark e.V., with 245 pairs of safety shoes.

The donated shoes had been procured in the summer of 2022 as a temporary solution, as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine had made it difficult for Mercer Stendal’s leading supplier to deliver the usual safety shoes. The company purchased alternative safety shoes to ensure smooth operations and protect its employees. Once the supplier’s delivery situation had normalized, Mercer Stendal decided against disposing of the remaining shoes to optimize its warehouse and put them to good use.

“It was important to us that the shoes did not remain unused or even be disposed of, but instead made a contribution where they were more urgently needed,” explained Michael Jakubek from Mercer Stendal. “The values of the German Red Cross and its commitment to the common good fit perfectly with our understanding of corporate responsibility and sustainability.”

Sven Gauter, Head of Supply and Logistics at the DRK Kreisverband Östliche Altmark e.V., accepted the donation on May 9, 2025, with great gratitude: “We are very pleased about this generous support. Especially in the current situation, we can use any form of help. These donated shoes will help support people in various emergency situations.”

 

Michael Jakubek and Sarah Lukas of Mercer Stendal present 245 pairs of safety shoes to Sven Gauter, Anett Fiedler, and Daniel Fiedler of the DRK Kreisverband Östliche Altmark e.V. to support volunteer rescue efforts.

Mercer Stendal’s donation shows how a company can make well-considered decisions to respond flexibly to unexpected situations and later contribute to the common good. Instead of discarding unused resources, the company found a way to provide practical help to people in need by working with the DRK. With corporate responsibility and an eye for the community’s needs, the donated shoes will now help support the important work of the DRK.