Gdańsk is an exceptional city. Its history is inseparably connected with the sea and the port. For the inhabitants this coexistence means above all jobs, better salaries, but also improvements in road traffic resulting from the modernisation of the city-port connections. The presence of more than a hundred companies operating within the Port of Gdańsk, as well as businesses associated with the port, is a guarantee of employment for the inhabitants of the Pomeranian region.

The heart of the Port beats in Gdańsk, the cradle of Solidarity, the bastion of freedom. This is where the beginning of the end of communism in Europe began. Such a heritage obliges. We are organically connected with Nowy Port and Stogi, the districts close to us. We feel a part of this community, therefore we want to be closer to the residents and support their initiatives. Especially since we are aware that the vicinity of the port can sometimes be a nuisance. We try to compensate for these inconveniences, at least to some extent. How? By helping. Because we have always believed that the world will be a better place if we learn to work together, to show that we are one team.

We are proud to support various environmental initiatives that serve our planet. One such initiative was to place beehives in our port. We know how important bees are for the entire ecosystem. Their extinction would mean an ecological disaster. We want to save these insects, so we created a place for them in our port. The first four beehives were placed on the roof of the Westerplatte Ferry Terminal. Each of them is inhabited by 30,000-70,000 bees. The first honey harvest will take place next summer. Port bees will produce about 60 kg of honey per year (143 jars). One hive can provide approximately 15 kg of honey.

We pay a lot of attention to issues related to the protection of the natural environment, which is why we could not be indifferent to the ‘Czysta Plaża-Czyste Stogi’ campaign initiated by the local press. It was attended by Gdańsk residents as well as tourists. From the youngest to seniors.

We carry out a number of initiatives in care of the natural environment. These include air quality monitoring with permanent devices located in the port area, electric stations for charging electric cars, and moving the tern habitat to the breakwater area (in progress). We are also carrying out tree planting. From 2017 to 2020 we planted a total of 4,219 trees.

When we were wondering how we could get involved in the life of the Nowy Port district, we found out about a football club with a long tradition. Its name is ‘Portowiec Gdańsk’. Children born between 2010 and 2016 can practise football there. We have purchased the necessary equipment and outfits for the young players. We have also decided to financially support the coaches because it is them who are responsible for cultivating the spirit of sports competition among children. Our campaigns are aimed at encouraging schoolchildren to be active, and promoting physical activity. We also help professional athletes. We are a partner of the ‘Torus Wybrzeże’ club, whose large fan base originates from the port district of Stogi. Young players, more than 130 boys in total, train at the Handball Association, which cooperates with the Club. The port has also joined the club’s #TrenujZWybrzeżem project to promote handball As part of PE classes, players show children the game’s technical aspects.

We want to be close to the local community, which is why we initiate projects mainly to serve the residents of our immediate vicinity – the Stogi and Nowy Port districts. One of such actions is the Summer Cinema on the beach in Stogi. Loungers, the sound of waves and films, and in the background a landscape characteristic of Gdańsk and the port district of Stogi – with a unique view of the DCT Gdańsk container terminal, the largest in the Baltic Sea. In this unique atmosphere, every Friday during summer holidays there are open-air screenings, which are very popular among both residents and tourists visiting Gdańsk. We also support local initiatives focussed on children. In mid-June this year, together with our partner DCT Gdańsk, we provided financial and material support to the Social Library of the Stowarzyszenie Przyjazne Pomorze (Friendly Pomerania Association), which operates in Stogi. It was founded by an exceptional man, social activist and bibliophile Jan Urbanik. He donated his entire private book collection, accumulated over the years and consisting of over 20,000 volumes, to the social cause. Over time, on Jan’s initiative, a recreation room with a computer room for children and a mother and toddler club have also been set up at the library. From time to time, small concerts and meetings with interesting people are organised.

We also contribute to the organisation of the Nowy Port Days by financing various attractions for children, such as a mini amusement park.

What hard times we live in. The pandemic has taken its toll on all of us. We decided to join the fight against the coronavirus. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have supported those who are on the front line, i.e. paramedics from Pomerania, but we also help the elderly and sick from Nowy Port and Stogi, often providing them with their only hot meal of the day. In April 2020, as part of a joint action with the Port of Gdynia, we donated 4 analysers for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infections, personal protective equipment (masks, visors, liquid disinfectant, goggles, aprons) and cool boxes to Pomeranian hospitals. We have also purchased 10 fully-equipped tents with heating and lighting, which can serve as temporary emergency rooms. These have been given to the State Fire Brigade. In the autumn of 2020, when we were faced with the second wave of infections, we launched the #PortGdańskWspiera campaign. It lasted just over 4 months (from 18 November 2020 to 24 March this year). We funded meals for Pomeranian paramedics and senior citizens. According to the information we received from the City Family Support Centres, a large group of elderly people in our vicinity have problems with daily supplies. The centres selected 50 residents of Nowy Port and Stogi who were most in need of help and were supplied with food on a daily basis. During this time, a total of 12,132 meals (including two-course lunch kits and dry rations for the paramedics) were delivered. We purchased 1,680 meals for the ‘Za stołem’ community shop – Food Bank in Nowy Port, 4,851 meals for seniors, and 3,600 dry ration kits for paramedics (2,001 dinners and 3,600 dry ration kits).