EDP and Biedronka Foundation conclude agreement in Poland to help Ukrainian refugees | EDP Portugal

EDP, through EDP Renewables, the fourth-largest renewable energy producer in the world, has concluded an agreement with the Biedronka Foundation (established in 2020 by Jerónimo Martins Polska) to help support Ukrainian refugees in Poland with 500,000€. The agreement has been formalised, following a trip to Warsaw by Miguel Stilwell d'Andrade, CEO of EDP and EDPR, at the headquarters of Jerónimo Martins Polska with Katarzyna Scheer, president of the Biedronka Foundation.

The collaboration between the two entities will occur via a donation by EDP to Biedronka Foundation, which will use the funds to distribute food to those in need in close partnership with NGOs that are very engaged in emergency support to the people fleeing the war to Poland.

Miguel Stilwell d'Andrade, CEO of EDP and EDPR, states:"We are dealing with a devastating humanitarian crisis. We want to support those affected and who need it most. Joining forces is vital to succeed and we are very pleased to have been able to cooperate with this Jerónimo Martins Group Foundation that develops such crucial work on the ground. We will continue to drive initiatives to help the innocent victims of conflict”.

Katarzyna Scheer, president of Biedronka Foundation, notes: “With this donation, we will be able to expand our card program for refugees. The donation is a sign of trust in us and our work, thanks to which we can effectively operate on an even larger scale. Our experience with other programs based on a similar solution makes us believe that in the case of refugee, support in the form of prepaid cards, for the flexibility and convenience they allow, will work best”.  

The aforementioned donation made by EDP will add up to the Group mobilising resources and equipment in affected communities as a response package for the humanitarian crisis.  Aid will be sent to organisations working with victims on the front line - such as the Red Cross and Doctors of the World - in the form of the donation of essential goods and direct economic assistance. 

Due to the EDP Group's presence in Poland, Romania and Hungary there is regular contact with local authorities, to whom aid will also be provided as required to support those communities on the border with Ukraine. In addition to this emergency response package, in-house action launched by EDP volunteers has also been started up in the form of more local initiatives, helping refugees in Portugal and other countries.

The Biedronka Foundation is a legally autonomous non-profit entity financed by Jerónimo Martins Polska. On top of its own resources, since the beginning of the military and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the Foundation has received also a donation from SFMS, the majority shareholder of the Jerónimo Martins Group, to reinforce the support provided to Ukrainian refugees.