Category: Uncategorized

Motto: “Live and let live”.

How did you come to HOPE Mallorca?

At the beginning of the pandemic, my husband and I were in a difficult financial situation and a neighbour advised me to contact HOPE Mallorca. They welcomed me with open arms and I was immediately fed and helped.

At that time, there was a lack of volunteers at the Santanyí station, so, during one of my visits, I got to work without thinking about it. HOPE Mallorca supports me and by getting involved in the foundation I can give something back. I like to help and stand by those who are in a worse situation than me.

What do you do at HOPE Mallorca?

I work every Tuesday afternoon and I am very happy to be part of HOPE Mallorca. When the delivery truck arrives, we unload the fruit and vegetables. We separate what is not fit for human consumption so that a farmer from the village can come and collect it for his animals and we classify the rest in boxes. Then we clean up and leave everything clean so that the volunteers on Wednesday can distribute the boxes the next day.

After a while, Marie asked me if I wanted to take over the Tuesday sorting team. This includes ensuring that feed is sorted correctly and providing sorted leftovers to the animals. At first I was hesitant, but so far so good. I try to be a good role model, which means, I work a bit harder and I like to come a bit earlier so that everything is ready when the delivery truck arrives. Then I’m the first on the ramp so I can unload quickly.

What do you appreciate about your work?

The people working at HOPE Mallorca are very warm. They give us users and volunteers a lot of attention and warmth. I always jokingly say that my weekly work at the station is like a drug. I have been welcomed into the team with a lot of love and appreciation and I am very grateful for that.

The feeling of being able to help gives me a lot of joy. It is about the idea of contributing oneself and giving something back, even if it is little. That’s why I also proposed to my husband to join as a volunteer. He takes the used packaging and crushes it for a colleague to take it away in the van.

Once I took my grandchildren with me to help and to show them that there are people who are in a worse situation than us. At home, we make a point of valuing food. My children and grandchildren are used to it from an early age: food is very valuable and is not thrown away. The visit to HOPE Mallorca made my grandchildren even more aware of the importance of not throwing away food and helping others. My eldest granddaughter cried afterwards and said: “Grandma, do you really know how valuable this work is? No one sees it, but everyone has to eat.

Were there any experiences that particularly moved you?

My own story: at the beginning of the pandemic, we had to get by on 900 euros a month. We pay more than half of that in rent. Then my husband got sick and the car broke down. Everything had come together. At that time, when I didn’t know where to turn, HOPE Mallorca opened its doors to me.
I have been with HOPE Mallorca for more than two years now and I am still very touched by their willingness to help those who need it most.

During my time volunteering, I get to meet very different people who need help. I am especially moved when children have to live in poverty, I cannot bear the suffering of children.

What is HOPE Mallorca for you?

HOPE Mallorca is a family to me. Here I receive support, attention and appreciation for my work. I can also tell them how I feel and receive sincere sympathy.

I especially like the small, sincere gestures. For example, when Laura kisses me goodbye.

What values are lived at HOPE Mallorca?

– Tolerance. Everyone is treated equally. It doesn’t matter if you are coloured, yellow or blue.

– Patience and an open ear. I am quite a nervous person. Marie, Laura and Damià are very good at it. First they calm me down and then they listen to me.

– Total commitment. All three are very committed and are always there for you. They even interrupt their lunch to serve you.

Como usuaria y voluntaria, me siento aceptada tal y como soy.

Do you have a motto for life?

Live and let live

What do you want for HOPE Mallorca?

I would like HOPE Mallorca to be overwhelmed by donations. Because there are many people with economic difficulties: families who can’t pay for electricity or people who live on the street and don’t even have a blanket. Now in winter many people on the island cannot earn money.

If I won the lottery, I would give my money to HOPE Mallorca. Because these donations get to where they are needed. Nothing is wasted. There is a small, dedicated and very well organised team that controls all expenses and takes care of the people.
I don’t think they can do any better.

The interview was conducted by Verena Glaese.

Motto: „Leben und leben lassen.“

Wie kamst Du zu HOPE?

Anfang der Pandemie waren mein Mann und ich in einer schwierigen finanziellen Lage. Eine Nachbarin riet mir, mich bei HOPE Mallorca zu melden. Ich bin mit offenen Armen empfangen worden und habe sofort Lebensmittel und Hilfe erhalten.

Damals fehlten in der Station in Santanyí ehrenamtlich Mitarbeitende. So kam es, dass ich bei einem meiner Besuche einfach anfing mitzuarbeiten, ohne eine bewusste Entscheidung getroffen zu haben. HOPE Mallorca unterstützt mich und indem ich mich in der Station engagiere, kann ich etwas zurückgeben. Es gefällt mir zu helfen und für andere da zu sein, denen es noch schlechter geht als mir.

Was machst Du bei HOPE?

Ich bin jeden Dienstagnachmittag im Einsatz und sehr glücklich, ein Teil von HOPE Mallorca zu sein. Wenn der Lieferwagen ankommt, entladen wir das Obst und Gemüse. Wir trennen, was verdorben ist für die Tiere von einem Bauern aus Santanyí und sortieren den Rest in Kisten. Danach räumen wir auf und hinterlassen alles sauber, damit andere Freiwillige die Pakete am nächsten Tag verteilen können

Nach einiger Zeit hat mich Marie gefragt, ob ich dienstags die Leitung für das Sortierteam übernehmen möchte. Dazu gehört auch, auf die korrekte Mülltrennung zu achten und die aussortierten Reste für die Tiere bereitzustellen. Zuerst habe ich gezögert, aber bisher läuft alles gut. Ich versuche, ein gutes Vorbild zu sein. Das bedeutet, dass ich ein bisschen mehr arbeite und gerne schon ein etwas früher komme, damit alles vorbereitet ist, wenn der Lieferwagen da ist. Dann stehe ich als Erste an der Rampe, damit wir zügig entladen können

Was schätzt Du an Deiner Arbeit?

Die Menschen, die bei HOPE Mallorca arbeiten, sind sehr herzlich. Sie geben uns Kunden und ehrenamtlich Mitarbeitenden viel Aufmerksamkeit und Wärme. Im Scherz sage ich immer, dass mein wöchentlicher Einsatz in der Station wie eine Droge ist. Im Team bin ich mit viel Liebe und Wertschätzung aufgenommen worden und sehr dankbar dafür.

Das Gefühl, helfen zu können, macht mir viel Freude. Es geht um den Gedanken, sich selbst einzubringen und etwas zurückzugeben. Auch wenn es wenig ist. Deshalb habe ich auch meinem Mann vorgeschlagen, als Freiwilliger mitzumachen. Er kümmert sich um die gebrauchten Verpackungen und zerkleinert sie, damit ein Kollege sie im Lieferwagen wegbringen kann.

Einmal habe ich meine Enkelkinder mitgenommen, um zu helfen und damit sie sehen, dass es Menschen gibt, denen es schlechter geht als uns. Zuhause legen wir großen Wert darauf, Lebensmittel zu wertschätzen. Meine Kinder und Enkelkinder sind von klein auf daran gewöhnt: Lebensmittel sind kostbar und werden nicht weggeworfen. Der Besuch bei HOPE Mallorca hat meinen Enkeln noch mehr verdeutlicht, wie wichtig es ist, keine Lebensmittel wegzuwerfen und anderen Menschen zu helfen. Meine älteste Enkelin hat danach geweint und sagte, Oma, weißt du eigentlich, wie wertvoll diese Arbeit ist? Keiner sieht sie, aber es müssen doch alle Menschen essen.

Ein Erlebnis, dass Dich besonders berührt hat?

Meine eigene Geschichte: Zu Beginn der Pandemie mussten wir monatlich mit 900 Euro auskommen. Davon bezahlten wir über die Hälfte als Miete. Dann ist mein Mann krank geworden und das Auto ging kaputt. Es kam alles zusammen. Es ist sehr schwer, diesen Rückstand aufzuholen. Als ich damals nicht wusste, wohin ich mich wenden sollte, öffnete mir HOPE Mallorca die Türen. Inzwischen bin ich seit mehr als zwei Jahren bei HOPE Mallorca und immer noch sehr bewegt über die Hilfsbereitschaft.

Während meiner Einsatzzeiten lerne ich ganz unterschiedliche Menschen kennen, die Hilfe benötigen. Ganz besonders berührt es mich, wenn Kinder in Armut leben müssen. Das Leid der Kinder kann ich nicht ertragen.

Was ist HOPE Mallorca für Dich?

HOPE Mallorca ist für mich Familie. Hier erhalte ich Unterstützung, Zuwendung und Wertschätzung für meine Arbeit. Ich kann auch erzählen, wie es mir geht und erfahre ehrliche Anteilnahme.

Ganz besonders mag ich auch die kleinen herzlichen Gesten. Zum Beispiel, wenn mir Laura  zum Abschied ein Küsschen gibt

Welche Werte werden bei HOPE Mallorca gelebt?

• Toleranz. Alle werden gleich behandelt. Ganz egal, ob du schwarz, gelb oder blau bist.
• Geduld und ein offenes Ohr. Ich bin ein eher nervöser Mensch. Damit können Marie, Laura und Damian sehr gut umgehen. Sie beruhigen mich erst einmal und hören dann zu.
• Voller Einsatz. Die drei sind sehr engagiert und immer für einen da. Sie unterbrechen sogar ihr Mittagessen, um sich um einen zu kümmern.

Als Kundin und ehrenamtliche Mitarbeiterin fühle ich mich angenommen, so wie ich bin

Hast Du ein Lebensmotto?

Leben und leben lassen

Was wünscht Du HOPE Mallorca?

Ich wünsche mir, dass HOPE Mallorca mit Spenden überhäuft wird. Denn es gibt so viele Menschen, die in finanziellen Schwierigkeiten sind – Familien, die ihren Strom nicht bezahlen können oder Menschen, die auf der Straße leben und noch nicht einmal eine Decke besitzen. Jetzt kommt der Winter und viele Menschen auf der Insel können kein Geld verdienen.

Wäre ich Lotto-Gewinnerin, würde ich mein Geld HOPE Mallorca geben. Denn diese Spenden kommen dort an, wo sie benötigt werden. Es wird nichts verschwendet. Es gibt ein kleines, engagiertes und sehr gut organisiertes Team, das alle Ausgaben kontrolliert und sich um die Menschen kümmert. Ich glaube nicht, dass sie es besser machen könnten

Das Interview führte Verena Glaese.

Motto: “Altruism is better than egoism”.

How did you come to HOPE?

As a pensioner, I have time that I like to use meaningfully for people who need help. And the number of people living in poverty on Mallorca has unfortunately increased dramatically due to the Corona crisis. At the beginning of 2021, I researched organisations that help those in need. The basic idea of HOPE, to help people who fall into poverty through no fault of their own, appealed to me immediately.

I wrote an email and then it happened very quickly. Just a few days later, I brought a Lidl donation from Llucmajor to Santanyí in my van – Santas and all kinds of seasonal sweets.

What do you do at HOPE?

I work as a driver. On my tours, I pick up donations for our clients. Sometimes I go to the Banco de Alimentos in Palma and to various supermarkets to pick up discarded food. Sometimes I take the donations to our six island-wide distribution stations or to clients who have difficulty leaving their homes. Some days I pick up potatoes or eggs from agricultural companies. Sometimes I also drive to private donors to pick up beds, tables or other furniture. It is unbelievable how fast HOPE has grown in one year. On the first trip, I was still using my private van, but now the foundation has two vans of its own.

What do you appreciate about your work?

What gives me the most pleasure is to see how others are happy about the donations. When I feel this gratitude, I know that my commitment is worthwhile. In general, I appreciate the direct contact and exchange with our clients as well as the volunteers in the different wards.

An experience that particularly touched you?

One? I could name quite a few. But one trip with our social worker Oscar is particularly memorable. A few weeks ago, we specifically drove along bridges in Palma and Arenal under which homeless people live. As the nights are very cold in winter, we had warm clothes, shoes and blankets with us. It was very touching to see how many people have to live in makeshift board shacks because they have been evicted from their homes.

What is HOPE for you?

An ingenious organisation founded at the right moment in the right place to secure livelihoods for people in need.

The HOPE Mallorca Fundación is looking for people to offer housing for refugees from Ukraine. With its logistical experience, the humanitarian aid organisation is committed to being a contact point for people who are forced to flee Ukraine.

“War is driving more and more people from their homes. We all have a responsibility,” explains Heimke Mansfeld, President of the Foundation. In addition to donations of money and goods, the Ukrainians on Mallorca are currently in need of housing.

As a point of contact, the HOPE Mallorca Fundación will register the refugees. This facilitates access to basic support and helps keep families together or reunite separated children with their families. The first owners to make their vacant flats available to refugees have already come forward. The social need on the Balearic island is still alarming. The foundation is already providing food for more than 4,000 needy people. Ten families who have lost their homes are being supported through sponsorships.

If you would like to provide accommodation or host refugees, please fill in the form below and send it directly to: info@hope-mallorca.org or +34 629204106.

Only with the solidarity and help of as many people as possible can the support of the increasing number of refugees from Ukraine be managed. The HOPE Mallorca Fundación would like to thank all those who helped.

The HOPE MALLORCA Fundación was founded at the beginning of the pandemic in May 2020 to support the increasing number of people in need. Today, HOPE Mallorca has grown into a strong and sustainable aid organisation helping many thousands of people to survive the corona crisis.

Volunteers are involved in six distribution stations on the island, handing out food and donations in kind. Through HOPE partnerships, families are saved from homelessness and over-indebtedness. With the distribution of medical equipment and aids, disabled and sick people receive support in times of crisis. Recently, a job exchange has been placing unemployed people in Germany.

To ensure that the aid so urgently needed for Mallorca can continue without any interruption in personnel, the new composition of the board of the Hope Mallorca Foundation has already been officially confirmed today (17 January 2022). Heimke Mansfeld remains chairwoman of the board and her husband Juan Santa Cruz Ferrer and the former banker Bartolomé Canals Adrover have replaced Jasmin Nordiek and Sonja Willner on the board.

Both new board members have already been active for the foundation, not only in a motivating and advisory capacity. Both are Mallorcans, which will be more important than ever to ensure that HOPE remains a strong voice for the people of Mallorca in need of help. We are very happy that we were able to convince them at short notice to contribute their commitment and experience directly.

Photo: Flowers with very best wishes for the personal future to Jasmin Nordiek and Sonja Willner.
v.r.n.l. Juan Santa Cruz Ferrer – Heimke Mansfeld – Bartolomé Canals Adrover –  Sonja Willner

HOPE Mallorca – an incredible success story. At the beginning, none of us could have imagined the dimension that this foundation would take on and how much hope we can give through a strong community in which so many people stand together, work together, help and believe in a better future. We are incredibly proud of all that the three of us on the board and together with our HOPE family have created and achieved.

Today, HOPE Mallorca has grown from a non-profit association into a strong and sustainable foundation that helps many thousands of people survive the Corona crisis. Through the distribution of food, we fight hunger on the island. Through HOPE sponsorships, we are saving families from homelessness and over-indebtedness. Through the distribution of medical equipment and supplies, we help disabled and sick people in crisis. Through our HOPE Mallorca Job Exchange, we have recently been placing workers from the Mallorcan labour market in companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In the future, we will support Mallorcan companies in selling their 100% Mallorcan products through our online shop – all for a good cause, of course. So far, we have supplied an average of over 6,000 food recipients (including 1,600 children) with 39 tonnes of food per month via 7 HOPE stations in Santanyí, Portocolom, S’Illot, Pollença, Can Picafort, Alcudia and Cala Bona. The number of volunteers has grown from 10 to 211.

“We are so grateful to be part of this incredible success story and to have cradled it. We could learn a lot from our HOPE community – especially that HELP. HOPE & LOVE are cornerstones that can carry a large group of people through a difficult crisis. This special HOPE time will stay in our hearts forever and of course we will remain closely connected to HOPE Mallorca forever and will continue to be there for advice & support.” (Jasmin Nordiek and Sonja Willner).

The purpose of HOPE Mallorca is to provide fast and unbureaucratic emergency aid for people in Mallorca and therefore a temporary social commitment with a natural end. It was not foreseeable that HOPE Mallorca would develop in such dimensions. The portfolio of HOPE Mallorca is growing into very different social projects / areas. Unfortunately, there is disagreement in the board about the idea of how HOPE Mallorca can continue as a foundation. Therefore, Jasmin Nordiek as well as Sonja Willner feel that the time has come to leave and to make room for a new generation of committed people, who will put a lot of energy and fresh ideas into the service of the HOPE Mallorca board. Welcome Juan Santa Cruz Ferrer and Bartolome Canals Adrover. We sincerely wish you much success and fun in this wonderful task.

“We say thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all the volunteers, donors, supporters and partners of HOPE Mallorca for your commitment, your energy, your faith and one of the most incredible times in our lives. Even though we are stepping down from our positions on the board – hope remains and we will be by your side forever.” (Jasmin Nordiek and Sonja Willner)

Hope – what a big word. At the beginning of the pandemic, we could not have imagined how much hope we could give through a strong community in which so many people stand together, work together, help together and believe in a better future.

Now a second COVID year is drawing to a close and we are learning even more about hope. Hope is not just “a confident inward orientation coupled with a positive expectation that something desirable will occur, without any real certainty about it.” (Wikipedia) Our strong HOPE family shows us every day anew that hope can be shaped, with every small or big act of help.

“What we have all created together with HOPE Mallorca is simply incredible!”

We say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your help and your tireless commitment. First of all, this thanks goes to all our volunteers who do an incredible job. It is simply wonderful to know that we have so many helping hands behind us, who support and accompany us through every phase of our work. We are proud of what we have been able to achieve together with you.

A huge thank you also goes to our partners, sponsors and donors. You are also a very important part of our HOPE world, because you keep our social commitment alive with every cent, every donation in kind or every action.

We are all proof that HELP, HOPE & LOVE are values that can exist – if everyone contributes a small part. Is there a more beautiful Christmas story than this?

A brief look into the past shows our common success story, which could only come into being in this dimension with each and every one of you:

On 13 May 2021, we started our first HOPE station in Santanyí. At that time, HOPE Mallorca consisted of about 10 volunteers including Heimke Mansfeld, Jasmin Nordiek and Sonja Willner. In our first small garage we started serving food to about 900 people. At that time, we bought food for a few hundred euros a week at the supermarket around the corner for each distribution.

Today, HOPE Mallorca has grown from a non-profit association into a strong and sustainable foundation that helps many thousands of people survive the Corona crisis. Through the distribution of food, we fight hunger on the island. Through HOPE sponsorships, we are saving families from homelessness and over-indebtedness. Through the distribution of medical equipment and supplies, we help disabled and sick people in crisis. Through our HOPE Mallorca Job Exchange, we have recently been placing workers from the Mallorcan labour market in companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In the future, we will support Mallorcan companies in selling their 100% Mallorcan products via our online shop – all for a good cause, of course.

So far, we have supplied an average of over 6,000 food recipients (including 1,600 children) with 39 tonnes of food per month through 7 HOPE stations in Santanyí, Portocolom, S’Illot, Pollença, Can Picafort, Alcudia and Cala Bona. The number of volunteers has grown from 10 to 211.

It is wonderful to end 2021 with such a Christmas miracle – the story of an island in need that became a story of hope.

We wish you joyful and contemplative hours with your loved ones and a new year full of love, health, small miracles and just as much hope. It is so nice that you exist.

HELP. HOPE. LOVE.
Yous Heimke, Jasmin & Sonja

It is with great pleasure that we await an incredible delivery of toys from Germany to our warehouse/office in Santanyí. In the course of the “Rückspiel” project, the company Werkhof Hagen collects well-preserved, used toys and refurbishes them. Repaired, cleaned and checked, they are now also distributed to our HOPE children at Christmas. HOPE Mallorca is very proud to have been considered in this context and to be able to take another step towards sustainability. “Rückspiel” is sustainable in two senses, because it offers long-term unemployed people with a wide range of support needs the opportunity to regain their professional footing and thus gain a new perspective.

Become a HOPE Mallorca Sledge ANGEL

At the end of November, our HOPE Mallorca van will then set off to pick up the more than 1,000 toys in mint condition on behalf of Father Christmas in Germany. Please support Father Christmas with your donation to fill the tank and let his sleigh fly with a loud “Ho Ho Ho” from Mallorca to Germany and back again.

“We already say thank you very much for this!”

Donation account – HOPE Mallorca Fundación
Keyword: HOPE Mallorca Sledge ENGEL

Bank Cajamar Santanyí 
IBAN: ES48 3058 4516 4227 2000 9268 
BIC: CCRIES2AXXX

But that’s not all. You can help out with many other activities in our HOPE Mallorca Christmas workshop!

Become a HOPE Mallorca packaging ENGEL

For example, we are urgently looking for volunteers to help turn all the toys into beautiful gifts on Wednesdays 08/12, 15/12, 22/12 and 29/12 from 1pm each day. We have also found a wonderful partner for the choice of wrapping paper. Mallorca Zeitung will provide us with newsprint that would have been destroyed. So here too we remain 100% sustainable. There are then no limits to the creativity of our volunteer packaging ENGELs. The individual gifts can be beautifully decorated with paint, glitter and ribbon.

“Would you also like to become a HOPE Mallorca packaging ENGEL? Then come and visit us at our warehouse in Santanyí on the dates listed above.”

Carrer Sebastiana Clar 3
07650 Santanyí
Islas Baleares

A convivial craft session awaits you.

Or maybe you’re more of a HOPE Mallorca Baking ENGEL. Then we would be delighted to receive your home-baked Christmas biscuits, which can be delivered to our warehouse in Santanyí or to our HOPE Mallorca distribution stations in Portocolom, S’Illot, Pollença, Can Picafort, Alcudia or Cala Bona from now until 6 January 2022 (Epiphany).

You can find the addresses of our HOPE Mallorca distribution stations here

Oder Sie sind eher ein HOPE Mallorca Back ENGEL. Dann freuen wir uns riesig über Ihre selbst gebackenen Weihnachtsplätzchen, die ab sofort jederzeit bis zum 06. Januar 2022 (Heilige Drei Könige) in unserem Lager in Santanyí oder an unseren HOPE Mallorca Verteilstationen in Portocolom, S’Illot, Pollença, Can Picafort, Alcudia oder Cala Bona abgebeben werden können.

Die Adressen unserer HOPE Mallorca Verteilstationen finden Sie hier

http://hope-mallorca.org/essens-stationen/

“We thank you all already from the bottom of our hearts and look forward to a very wonderful pre-Christmas season in our HOPE Mallorca Christmas Workshop. Stay well and enjoy this special time of silence, contemplation and family.”

HELP. HOPE. LOVE.

Photocredit: Giacomo Alonzi, Dilyara Garifullina, Olesia Buyar / Unsplash

The hardship caused by COVID 19 on Mallorca is incredible and growing. Many families and businesses find themselves in a situation that threatens their existence – because almost everyone on the island depends on tourism in some way. Even if tourism is expected to recover in the summer of 2021, the situation on Mallorca will remain difficult for a long time. Only those who have worked for six months at a stretch within a year are eligible for state aid. This will probably only apply to very few people on the island. We are already preparing for a hard winter, because poverty and misery have become a sad reality on Mallorca and we have to fight against that.

On 13 May 2020, we opened the first of seven food distribution points in Santanyí. Today, HOPE Mallorca has become a strong and sustainable aid organisation, helping many thousands of people to survive the Corona crisis. Through food distribution, we fight hunger on the island. Through HOPE sponsorships, we are saving families from homelessness and over-indebtedness. Through the distribution of medical equipment and supplies, we help the disabled and sick in crisis.

Please continue to donate with the great commitment that you have
you have shown so far.

We are incredibly grateful and proud to be able to count on so many supporters, donors and volunteers like you. Without you, HOPE Mallorca would not exist and would not have grown so quickly.

The principle HELP. HOPE. LOVE. works: a strong and unbreakable community of solidarity has been created.

Thank you very much! Thank you very much! Thank you!

Please keep donating!

Every donation – big or small – helps families and individuals on Mallorca to overcome this crisis.
to overcome this crisis.

Donation account– HOPE Mallorca e.V. 

Bank Cajamar Santanyí 
IBAN: ES96 3058 4516 4327 2000 8258 
BIC: CCRIES2AXXX