The Perfect Circle NGO (Croatian NGO database entry) regularly supplies people with toiletries, food and clothing, from youth living in student dormitories to large families made up of lots of children or frail elderly.
Despite our charitable activities year-round, the Winter season adversely affects the people we try to help and requires additional effort and materials. Because of the pandemic, many are left jobless and without pay. The NGO gets over 30 donation requests daily performed by 5-10 volunteers.
Two simultaneous donations this year
Donations this year will be focused on the municipality of Bednja, which is special for two unfortunate reasons: firstly, the air temperature during winter is lower than Lika and Gorski Kotar’s, secondly that for decades it has been one of the most impoverished municipalities in Croatia with poverty rates three times that of Zagreb and a Special Government Needs region. Bednja has historically been one of the earliest and most well known feudalistic properties in Croatia, with Castle Trakošćan impacting years of development. The church in Bednja contains one of the loudest renaissance era organs in the world as a loud reminder of fonder times.
To help as many people as possible, we’re organizing two simultaneous donation activities, one being suitable for the offices of a medium to large sized company and the other a larger volume donation suitable for several large companies.
Donation Activity #1: Donating toys and Christmas presents to an elementary school
The Franjo Sert elementary school in Bednja (Croatian: OŠ Franje Serta Bednja) shares the socioeconomic fate of the municapility in which it is based in, but the teachers keep in high spirits and want to provide their pupils with the best education they can in spite of these circumstances. Because the school is limited in its resources, the Perfect Circle NGO is organizing a donation activity involving 33 schoolkids:
- 7 first graders in classes: K. M., B. S., Z. N., V. P., K. J., P. J., Z. Z. (1 f, 6 m)
- 3 second graders in classes: B. L., M. V., J. V. (1 f, 2 m)
- 2 third graders in classes: P. M., T. L. (1 f, 1 m)
- 3 fourth graders in classes: K. M., P. P., P.R. (2 f, 1 m)
- 8 fifth graders in classes: M. L., B.Š., M. B., K. P., K. B, P. M., G. J., L. L. (6 f, 2 m)
- 4 sixth graders in classes: D. K., P. M., L. P., Š. G. (2 f, 2 m)
- 3 seventh graders in classes: M. P., V. Š., T. L. (2 f, 1 m)
- 3 eighth graders in classes: P.P., M.,G. (2 f, 1 m)
This activity is ideal for medium to large sized companies where employees can deliver donations suitable for a certain age range which NGO volunteers can use to give to these children in need.
Examples of appropriate donations include: women’s hoodies (sizes 8 to 14), men’s jackets (size 12), remote-control toy cars, dolls, tablets, schoolbags etc.
Activity #2: Food and hygiene products
For this donation we’ve considered two methods: gathering material donations as we do for children and youths, and monetary donations to use in buying these necessities. Statistically over 90% of people living in the municipality are solitary elderly and frail people and at least 60 families are in unenviable positions requiring these donations. Because of these considerations, our goal is to assemble or purchase 150 of these donation packages:
In dietary package we are looking for shelf stable and non perishable foods:
- dry meat products
- Pâtés and meat spreads
- Cereals (Čokolino, Keksolino)
- canned foods
- canned meat
- canned fish
- canned tuna
- tomato paste
- cocoa
- cookies
- durum wheat and wheat products (Croatian: Gris)
- snacks (peanuts, chips, flips (Smoki, Bobi puffed corn snacks)
- chocolates
- candies
- Nutella
- LinoLada
- NesCafe
- Cedevita
- Pasta
- rice
- sugar
- Vegeta
- Milk
- flour
- Teas
- Coffee
Packages of hygienic necessities and toiletries:
- laundry detergent (ideally all-in-one tablets are most affordable)
- fabric softener
- shampoos
- shower gels
- hair conditioners
- soaps
- baby wipes
- wet wipes for surfaces
- disinfectants (Domestos)
- dishwashing liquid
- dish sponges
- COVID masks
- menstrual pads
Kutije OBUCI 2020
Great ways to help are financially or assembling donation packages with these items.
In the case of financial donations, there are tax breaks! According to article 7 of the income tax law, expenses are tax deductible if done within the country for the purposes of culture, science, education, medicine, charity, sports, religion and other similarly useful areas if their total donations do not exceed 2% of the business’ total annual income.
How can you help?
#1: Contact the NGO Vice President Aleksandra at: a.aleksandra22@gmail.com.
#2: Decide on the best way you can contribute.
If you wish to help the NGO by donating financially, payment information is included below:
Humanitarna udruga Savršen Krug, Trnjanska cesta 111, Zagreb,
Payment information for financial donations
IBAN: HR0724840081135190059 , RBA banka,
Purpose of Payment: Donation – Christmas Donations
In case you want to make a donation through electronic means, your phone or e-banking, here is the bar code with the basic payment information:
