Santa Claus returns to Transylvanian Saxon villages with gifts

Die Johanniter, Camion de Craciun

The “Christmas Truck” has returned to Transylvanian Saxon villages bearing gifts for needy families for a fifth year.

Some 1,000 Christmas parcels reached Brasov county in central Romania just in time for Christmas.

Humanitarian project

The M&V Schmidt and German “Die Johanniter” foundations financed and provided the logistics for the humanitarian project.

The parcels contained foods, toiletries and school equipment. They were handed out to vulnerable families in the villages of Bunești, Criț, Viscri, Roadeș, Meșendorf and Rupea, a press release said.

Extra present packages were given to the Mihai Eminescu Trust, the Tabaluga Foundation, the boarding school in Rupea to distribute to other people in need.

Charitable initiative

„Johanniter-Weihnachtstrucker” is now in its 28th year. It is backed by donors, volunteers, companies, schools and kindergartens in Germany and is one of the biggest charitable initiatives in Europe.

Every year it ships humanitarian aid to needy people, especially in southeast Europe.

“Die Johanniter”  was founded in 1952 and currently has 40,000 active volunteers and 1.25 million sponsors.

Saxon culture

The mission of the M&V Schmidt Foundation which takes part in the ‘Christmas Truck’ gift-giving jamboree is to protect Saxon culture in Romanian villages and develop educational projects to promote German language learning  in Romania.

 In 2017,  Veronica Schmidt started an after-school program in  Casa Kraus, in Crit near the medieval town of Sighisoara. Casa Kraus is the old parochial house in the village which has been turned into a boutique hotel.

There are one dozen children currently enrolled in the after-school program. They also received Christmas presents.

M&V Schmidt Foundation

The M&V Schmidt Foundation, run by the husband-wife team Michael and Veronica Schmidt, also helps villages in Romania’s poor south.

 They sent 30 parcels with satchels, pencil cases, pencil sharpeners, erasers, pens and other equipment to a state foster home in Calarasi county this month.

The M & V Schmidt Foundation was set up in 2010 by Michael Schmidt, who comes from  Crit, or Kreuzdorf as it’s called in German.

The Johanniter Christmas truck sends about 30 trucks to Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Albania, and Ukraine

Santa Claus comes to Transylvanian Saxon villages with gifts

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