GIVMED, through a grant of the TIMA Charitable Foundation, has implemented a pharmaceutical program for individuals affected by the 2023 Thessaly floods & 2025 fires throughout Greece. In particular, special emphasis was placed on beneficiaries in Thessaly, as since the 2023 floods, a large proportion of vulnerable seniors are still affected in the area. In coordination with the Open Protection Centers for the Elderly (OPCEs) in the towns of Volos, Larisa, Karditsa, and Trikala, among others, GIVMED raised awareness about the importance of pharmaceutical giving. At the same time, the services provided by the local Social Pharmacies were presented to seniors in the area to inform them of the possibility of either donating medications or, if they meet the socioeconomic criteria, to take advantage of these services.
Over 4,000 boxes of medicine were donated to the Social Pharmacies in the area through this grant, serving approximately 1,400 vulnerable individuals. The other axis of the program regards emergency packages of medicines and hygiene products for areas at high risk of fires for 2025 that GIVMED developed; these packages contained a variety of products critical for when fires break out and were distributed to non-profit organizations, social pharmacies, and other organizations throughout Greece. GIVMED informed its recipient organizations that the Emergency Packages had already been assembled and were on standby; in this way, in the event of a fire, the organizations could contact them to have a package sent to them. At the same time, the GIVMED team monitored the progress of the fires on a daily basis and contacted organizations in affected areas to assess needs. Whenever a need arose, shipments were made immediately, ensuring that the packages reached the organizations within 1–2 days. The emergency packages that were distributed contained a total of almost 4,300 pharmaceuticals with a value of over €16,000.
