CORESTATE and brotZeit e.V.
brotZeit breakfast figures 2019
230 breakfast schools
10,412 children who receive breakfast daily
866,317 € (donated value of the breakfast goods)
1,749,257 breakfasts issued
1,392 active seniors as breakfast helpers
9,315,977 breakfasts issued since the founding of the association
brotZeit provides children with breakfast
Every tenth child in Germany does not get breakfast at home. This shocking statistic was a result of a study published in 2019 by the Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach. The most common consequences found from not having breakfast include quarrelling and aggressiveness among school children, lack of concentration in class and poor grades. In order to support children at primary and “Förderschulen” and thus make an essential contribution to more equal opportunities, brotZeit e.V. was founded in 2009. Buffet-style breakfast is provided by seniors who volunteer every morning to give the children a good start to the day. The idea for this initiative came from German actress Uschi Glas who still drives the work of brotZeit with a dedicated team.
How the brotZeit project works
1. The work of brotZeit would not be possible without the generous financial donations and grants from supporters.
2. brotZeit e.V. supports the schools with the organisational and financial implementation of the breakfast with the help of the donations received. The support includes, among other things, the recruitment of volunteers for the project, the provision of food logistics and a quality management system as well as financial support for the equipment of the breakfast rooms and for the expense allowances of the breakfast helpers.
3. To ensure that breakfast is available on site and to provide the schools with personal support in all matters relating to the implementation of the project, a brotZeit project manager is deployed in each assisted region.
4. The project would not work without its volunteers who, as breakfast helpers, prepare the breakfast buffet every morning before classes begin. In addition, breakfast helpers are important contact persons for the children. With a balanced breakfast and an open ear, they enable the kids to have the best possible start to the school day.
5. brotZeit’s long-standing cooperation partner Lidl has been donating food since the beginning of the project.
6. To distribute the food to the schools, brotZeit works with various logistics partners who supply the fresh produce to the schools every 14 days.
Study: brotZeit commitment – Senior citizens for equal opportunities and social participation
Germany’s Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth commissioned INBAS-Sozialforschung GmbH to conduct a study entitled „brotZeit commitment – senior citizens for equal opportunities and social participation“. The survey was conducted in January and February 2020 and examined the motives of senior citizens who are committed to brotZeit e.V. and the effect that their participation in the project has on them. Against the background of the school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the results of the survey are particularly important.
74 % of the brotZeit seniors committed themselves to the association several times a week. brotZeit founder and association board member, Uschi Glas, says: „From many conversations with our seniors, I know that the regular work with the children not only gives them a new structure in their retirement. They also feel a zest for life and feel the happiness of being needed“.
Dr Franziska Giffey, German Federal Minister for Senior Citizens, explains: „In the best sense, brotZeit is an initiative for all generations – it brings young and old together. It prevents loneliness and improves the life satisfaction of volunteering seniors. It promotes dialogue between the generations and thus strengthens our social cohesion. […] In addition, brotZeit and its numerous committed members make an active contribution to ensuring that children have a good start to the school day. Because a proper “Brotzeit”, breakfast, is just as important for learning success as staplers, pencils and scissors. I want to thank everyone involved for their commitment.“
brotZeit in times of COVID-19
In mid-March, schools throughout Germany were closed due to the Corona pandemic. In May, after an interruption of several weeks, schools began to reopen step by step. With strict distance regulations and hygiene requirements.
The abrupt school closures were accompanied by an interruption of the brotZeit breakfasts. These are challenging times, especially for the school children but also for the volunteering seniors, for whom the brotZeit breakfast has offered a structure in everyday life as well as social exchange.
To be able to provide the school children with a breakfast meal again as soon as possible, brotZeit has developed a four-phase concept for the resumption of breakfast operations and hopes to be able to react to all „transition scenarios“ until the breakfast in buffet form can be resumed. In Leipzig and Munich, brotZeit is currently conducting a pilot project with „breakfast bags“ as an interim solution.
To not let the volunteering senior citizens down in this often very lonely time, the brotZeit project managers conducted a telephone survey of the senior volunteers. The long interruption puts a heavy strain on a large part of the brotZeit breakfast helpers. Around 86 % stated that they missed their voluntary work, while 93 % would like to continue their work as soon as the project starts again.
The seniors are flexible: 83 % agree that, due to the current situation, breakfast should no longer be served as a buffet but in a different form. The majority of those questioned believe lunch boxes with self-made sandwiches could be a solution.
How the CORESTATE Foundation helped
In the Pullach office, local ESG delegates planned a momox campaign: Hannover Leasing employees dropped off used books at their offices and the proceeds from the sale via momox was donated to brotZeit. In addition, Hannover Leasing, as a supporting member of the Munich Hellabrunn Zoo, will hand over free tickets to one of the brotZeit partner schools.
Inspired by the Hannover Leasing office, the local ESG delegate from Upartments in Leipzig also planned a momox initiative for their office to help raise donations for brotZeit.
Donations were also made by other employees across other offices. Every Euro that was donated by our employees and through the momox actions was matched by the CORESTATE Capital Group. We reached a new donation high of €6,000 for brotZeit. The donations will enable brotZeit to provide 3,500 breakfasts for children.
brotZeit thankful for CORESTATE donations
brotZeit e.V. gives a big thank you to the CORESTATE employees for their generous donations:
“Many thanks to the Corestate Foundation – with the donation of 6,000€ we can provide about 3,500 breakfasts and care for children. Despite the setbacks caused by the Corona measures, we continue to work hard to support as many primary and special needs students as possible with a regular breakfast. How much children have suffered from a lack of care and food supply during the pandemic-related school closures is now shown by various studies. We feel committed to those affected. Therefore it is a great incentive for us to help them. Also in the name of these children once again many thanks and best wishes,” your brotZeit e.V. Team.