One hundred thousand smiles in ten years – The 10th Christmas SmileElves campaign has ended

The Christmas Smiley Elves campaign was organized for the tenth time by the PontVelem Smart Program, the Maltese Charity Service and GLS Hungary with the support of the State Secretariat for Public Education of the Ministry of the Interior. This year, 199 primary schools joined the ten-year program, and children whose institutions did not have the opportunity to do so were able to drop off their gifts at about 70 Maltese collection points. Thus, with the cooperation of GLS, the Maltese Charity Service can deliver a total of 12 thousand gift packages to children in need across the country before Christmas in the poorest settlements, temporary homes of families, study centers, schools and kindergartens.

In addition to the collection, an important part of the program is to shape attitudes, which is why the organizers emphasize during the campaign that children should only offer toys that are in good condition, flawless, new or no longer used by them to their peers living in a more difficult situation than them.

“The important mission of the Smiley Elves program is for children to experience the joy of helping and to experience that supporting people in need is a natural part of life. We invite children and parents to talk about the topic, put together the packages together, and only offer gifts that they themselves would be happy to receive. A donation made with caring attention becomes a real gift.”

– emphasized Eszter Parák, Deputy Head of Communications at the Maltese Charity Service, regarding the program.

“The PontVelem Program has had a program supporting those in need since the beginning, SegítsVelem, in which the Maltese Charity Service has been our long-time partner. When we launched the MosolyManók campaign, it was natural that we would organize this together with them, as through them, help will definitely reach where it is needed most. GLS Hungary has played an invaluable role in the delivery of packages since the beginning, and they carry out this enormous work free of charge. And the biggest thanks go to the children and the coordinating teachers, as year after year they are the ones who fill the boxes with gifts and thus bring smiles to the faces of children living in difficult situations. at Christmas.”

– said Miklós Matolcsy, the executive director of the PontVelem Smart Program.

Over the past ten years, GLS Hungary has traveled hundreds of thousands of free kilometers with gift packages between schools and the warehouses of the Maltese Charity Service.

“For GLS Hungary, it is of utmost importance that we contribute to supporting communities not only as a logistics service provider, but also as a responsible company. We are proud that since the launch of the Smile Elves program, we have been able to help deliver gift packages as a partner, and thus have been able to convey a hundred thousand smiles to children in need in ten years. The commitment of our colleagues and the selflessness of the children participating in the program together allow us to bring real joy to families living in the most difficult situations before Christmas.”

– said Attila Balázs, Managing Director of GLS Hungary

This year, it was possible to support the collection with a monetary donation. 1,323,800 forints were collected through the adomanyozz.hu website, which the Charity Service will also use for Christmas gifts for children living in difficult situations.