BUWOG Managing Director Kevin Töpfer presents the donation check to Alexandra Gruber (left), Managing Director of Die Tafel Österreich, and Julia Szewald, Head of Fundraising at Die Tafel Österreich.

For many, Christmas is a symbol of love, warmth and reflection. At the same time, this season invites us to pause, to feel gratitude for our own good fortune and to show solidarity and charity towards those who urgently need our support. The crises of recent years and their economic impact have made the plight of many people especially visible again this year.

In our society, social action and solidarity are of greater importance, particularly in more challenging times. As in past years, in 2025 BUWOG is also providing support to an organisation which has made it its mission to help people in need. “For BUWOG, sustainable business also means taking social responsibility. Our annual donation to Tafel Österreich is a small gesture of solidarity with the people who need our assistance most urgently,” Kevin Töpfer, managing director of BUWOG Group GmbH, says.

Saving food, fighting poverty

“Give it away, don’t throw it away”: BUWOG is wholeheartedly on board with this mission again this year and is donating a sum of EUR 20,000,- to Tafel Österreich to help people affected by poverty and the environment in equal measure. Approximately 1.6 million people in Austria live in precarious economic circumstances and are affected by social exclusion. They have been especially hard hit by the rising cost of living. At the same time, at least one million tonnes of food are thrown away each year. This makes Tafel Österreich’s mission more urgent than ever: edible food is rescued and distributed free of charge to people in need in social institutions – a good fifth of whom are children and young people. Together with over 250 volunteers, Tafel Österreich, a social and environmental organisation financed by donations, has been rescuing food still fit for consumption from rubbish bins since 1999. As a result, people affected by poverty can be cared for in social institutions free of charge. With its purposeful awareness-raising, Tafel Österreich also makes an important contribution to a reduction in food waste and greater sustainability.

“Based on the motto ‘Fighting poverty and food waste together’ and with the help of all our donors of goods, money and time, we are already able to provide support to more than 75,000 people affected by poverty in 160 social institutions throughout Austria. We are very grateful for the ongoing donations from BUWOG, which are helping to further expand the necessary aid deliveries to people affected by poverty throughout Austria,” Alexandra Gruber, managing director of Tafel Österreich, explains.