On Tuesday July 14, a dark day dawned on our country. The catastrophic wildfire that broke out just after five o’clock in the afternoon of the previous day near Daou Penteli spread rapidly, fanned by high winds with gusts that reached up to 120 kilometers an hour. Within hours, the towns of Mati, Neos Voutzas, Kokkino Limanaki, Kiani Akti and Rafina had been devastated by the flames. Luckily, the children attending the summer camps in the adjacent area of Agios Andreas were evacuated in time—many of our fellow citizens were not so lucky. The aftermath was heart-breaking: more than 80 people lost their lives—among them several children—190 people were injured and dozens of people are still missing, while 3,000 homes and countless cars were damaged or destroyed in the fire. Thousands of our fellow human beings are trying to pick up the pieces and count their losses. Fear, pain, uncertainty, countless questions and justified anger are the prevailing feelings.

During these difficult times, many of our fellow citizens made their way to the affected area to help in any way they could. Hundreds turned up to give blood on the day following the wildfire. The Workers’ Union of the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP) stressed the need to create a network of volunteers across areas of expertise in order to support those affected by the wildfire and help restore the affected areas. Koskinidis Packaging responded to this call with a donation of 400 carton crates that were delivered to the HCDCP in order to address the urgent need to sort and store items being donated for those affected by the fire. Koskinidis Packaging’s employees actively participated in these efforts. At Koskinidis Packaging, we know that it is only through collective effort and solidarity that we can stand tall in the face of adversity.