A wise man once said "To give is to receive" and we couldn't agree more! There's nothing as fulfilling as helping others - a mantra that we live by every day.

Helping people is in our hospitable nature. We made it our goal to make our residents happy in their homes, but our mission doesn't end here! Helping and bringing happiness to those who need it most is what keeps us on our toes.

This year, we brought everyone at Holland2Stay together and rallied up to fight for a handful of good causes. Each team of Holland2Stay has been allocated a budget of €500 to donate to a charitable cause of their choice. The teams decided to help either a charity that was close to their heart or simply a social cause they thought could use an extra helping hand in times of challenge.

We were lucky to help several charitable groups, among which we count:

1. Alzheimer Nederland

A wonderful organization that is committed to fighting one of the biggest challenges we face today: dementia. Alzheimer Nederland works hard to provide a better quality of life for people with dementia, as well as their families and friends. We were more than happy to be able to help this amazing organization in its life-changing mission of helping people who suffer from this disease.

2.Tittagalla primary school

One of our most beloved charitable activities was helping a small-town school in Tittagalla (Sri Lanka) build a brand new playground in their schoolyard. The kids who once used to play in their parents' rice fields can now enjoy a safe and fully-equipped playground that will serve them well for many years to come. The smiles on these children's faces brought us so much joy!

3. The Ocean Cleanup

A cause that will always need a helping hand - The Ocean Cleanup! This Netherlands-based non-profit organization works hard on developing the best technologies to extract plastic pollution from the oceans and even prevent it from entering the oceans by cleaning the rivers. An amazing mission that needs all the support it can get from all of us!

4. Kledingbank Eindhoven

The Kledingbank Eindhoven (or the Clothes Chamber in English) has an honorable objective: to provide a warm coat to those in need. The organization operates mainly in the Eindhoven region. Throughout the years, Kledingbank Eindhoven has organized various campaigns to help kids and adults alike receive clothes for free. We are super proud that we were able to help this wonderful organization and even more so that one of our colleagues is a regular volunteer at the Kledingbank!

5. De Poezenboot

Literally translated as "The Catboat", De Poezenboot is a unique animal sanctuary for stray and abandoned cats, that is located on a houseboat on one of Amsterdam's most famous canals. Though normally cats are not big fans of water, the furry friends at De Poezenboot love living on it as they never have to get their paws wet. We were very happy to give a helping hand to the amazing people who take care of the cats on De Poezenboot.

6. Stichting Jarige Job

An amazing organization with a heart-warming mission: helping families who cannot afford to celebrate their child's birthday. Stichting Jarige Job provides children in need with a wonderful birthday box that contains everything needed for a memorable birthday celebration. A great mission that we were oh-so proud to help!

 

7. Voedselbank Nederland

Last, but not least, one of our teams decided to give a helping hand to the Voedselbank Nederland, a charitable organization, otherwise known as the Foodbank. Voedselbank has an honorable objective: to provide food to people who are struggling financially. Their wonderful mission expands to assisting companies, institutions, and governments not only with food but also with services and financial aid in the pursuit of helping people in need as well as to prevent food wastage. We were so excited to assist this organization in its great mission!