Text: Juliane Gringer
Photos: Samaritan’s Purse, Quehenberger
Holger Philipowski, Branch Manager of Quehenberger Logistics DE GmbH, helps ensure that hundreds of thousands of boxes full of presents are distributed every year to children in need around the world: He organises the transport for the “Weihnachten im Schuhkarton” (Christmas in a Shoe Box) campaign from Berlin to Eastern European countries, thereby showing how logistics does good.
“Christmas Workshop” in Berlin

»As a young man, I used to always watch the show ‘Auf Achse’, and I was impressed by how adventurous the life of a long-distance lorry driver seemed. Even if a lot of things were exaggerated: at least you don’t have experiences like that when you only drive one pallet to Belgium.«
Holger Philipowski, Branch Manager, Quehenberger Logistics DE GmbH

»The world of logistics is diverse – and provides creative solutions for a better world.«
Holger Philipowski, Branch Manager, Quehenberger Logistics DE GmbH
Creativity needed over anything else
The association “Samaritan’s Purse – The Good Samaritans” is behind the “Christmas in a Shoe Box” campaign and helps young and adult people in need. It works closely with local parishes and local partners in the project countries. In addition to about 40 full-time employees, about 10,000 volunteers support the campaigns.
Anyone who wants to take part in “Christmas in a Shoe Box” can, for example, pack a box themselves start in mid-October: Donors are asked to stuff it with a mixture of new items, from clothes, hygiene articles and school materials to cuddly toys and sweets. A personal greeting and photo can also be included. Furthermore, a donation of ten euros per child to be gifted is recommended, as the money is used for transport, support of volunteers, public relations and quality assurance. Until mid-November, the parcels can then be handed over in person at numerous locations; alternatively, they can be sent by post until mid-December. Any parcels that arrive late are stored for the following year. There is also the option to have parcels packed online.