Saving food from being thrown away, making excursions possible for people with disabilities, maintaining pastures and forest edges, combating neophytes (invasive plants) and giving products a second life. Employees of Roche Pharmaceuticals Switzerland have achieved a lot during the Volunteer Week.
Once a year, employees of Roche Pharma Switzerland have the opportunity to get involved in volunteering for society during this week. Instead of going about their day-to-day job, they get a day's insight into a completely different world and can get involved with a charitable organisation in the Basel region and Switzerland.
We would like to thank our partner organisations , the Bürgerspital Basel, the Stadtgärtnerei, the Bergversetzern, the WERT!Stätte, the Schweizer Tafel and the Stiftung Sucht, for making these assignments possible and for the exciting impressions we were able to take away from each other.
Here are a few impressions of the volunteer week from Roche employees:
The mix of agricultural work and interaction with the residents was extremely enriching - a valuable encounter and a change from the daily office routine!
Exciting insights into the work of the city gardening department. Meaningful outreach with the control of neophytes and unwanted invasive plants. And you see at the end of the day what you have achieved.
It also makes you realise again how wasteful you are or how many people in Basel really need this support. It just felt good to get out and see and experience something different.
After the outreach, I have a new perspective on things that I didn't pay much attention to before. For example, how much food would be thrown away if the Schweizer Tafel didn't exist and how great the appreciation is from those who make use of it.
Very impressive, it was an immersion into another world - people really appreciated being able to tell what they do, having someone who listened and was interested. They were so proud! We need these meetings much more, they are enriching for both sides.