From 1 to 30 November 2026, customers of the ORLEN network can support the Veterans’ Day charity collection organised by Post Bellum. At participating petrol stations, donors will receive a poppy badge in return for a donation to the collection box. In the ORLEN app, they can donate their loyalty points to support the campaign; the ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation will then convert these into a financial donation. Drivers can thus support war veterans and other freedom fighters and contribute to a project documenting their life stories.
People wear poppies every year to mark Veterans’ Day, which falls on 11 November. At participating ORLEN filling stations, this symbol will be available in exchange for a donation to the collection box throughout November. Users of the ORLEN loyalty app can also take part in the collection by donating their accumulated points in support of the cause. For every 2,500 points donated, the ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation will contribute 20 CZK to support the Post Bellum collection.
“Veterans’ Day is an opportunity to remember that the freedom we take for granted today is underpinned by real human stories and often involves great personal sacrifice. We are delighted that, together with our customers, we can contribute to improving the lives of our veterans and survivors and to preserving their extraordinary life stories for future generations,” says Rostislav Moravec, director of the ORLEN filling station network in the Czech Republic.
Post Bellum is organising a fundraising campaign to mark Veterans’ Day for the twelfth time this year. To date, the organisation has recorded 1,700 stories from war veterans and others who stood up to Nazism and communism. Post Bellum’s work began with meetings with Czechoslovak RAF pilots and the filming of their memoirs. Through the ‘Memory of the Nation’ project, the organisation now records, preserves and makes available the testimonies of people who lived through the wars and totalitarian regimes of the 20th and 21st centuries.
“We spoke to many of these witnesses towards the end of their lives. Had we postponed the interviews, it would no longer have been possible to record their memories. Thanks to public support, we can continue this work and, through the Memory of the Nation Help Centre, also assist veterans and other freedom fighters who are struggling with old age, illness or loneliness. We appreciate that ORLEN and its customers are also contributing to the collection,” says Alžběta Chrobáková, spokesperson for Post Bellum. In addition to documenting and making these testimonies accessible, the proceeds from the collection will also support the Memory of Nations Help Centre. This centre provides social and practical support to war veterans, other freedom fighters and other senior citizens. For example, last year the Assistance Centre contributed 20,000 CZK towards an adjustable bed for Mr Raniak, a World War II partisan. Following his death, staff remain in contact with his wife and are providing her with emotional support. Further assistance was also provided to Mrs Kožíšková, which enabled her to pay her energy bills. In addition, staff helped her submit an application for recognition of her participation in the Third Resistance and for compensation relating to the ‘Asanace’ operation. Both applications were successfully processed.
“Our collaboration with Post Bellum builds on our experience from previous fundraising campaigns in which ORLEN network customers took part. Through the ‘Donate Your Points’ programme, we have already donated a total of 3,075,800 CZK to charitable causes. We would like to thank all customers who donate the points they have collected via the mobile app to help others,” concludes Lucie Pražáková, Director of the ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation. In the past, the ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation has converted donated points into financial contributions, which it has then topped up. For example, it has supported the Czech Olympic Foundation, which helps young athletes from socially disadvantaged backgrounds; and the Veronika Kašáková Endowment Fund, which helps children and young people from children’s homes and vulnerable families.
Further information about the fundraising campaign is available at denveteranu.cz. Customers can find the terms and conditions for donating loyalty points at ORLEN filling stations, on the website orlen.cz or in the ORLEN mobile app.
ORLEN – the international network of fuels, energy and refreshments
The ORLEN network of filling stations is a member of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group owned by the international ORLEN Group, which runs more than 3,500 fuel stations in seven Central European countries – Poland, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia. In Czechia, the ORLEN network comprises 443 stations with a 28.6% market share in the volume of fuels sold. The ORLEN network is a market leader in terms of both the number of sites and the volume of fuels sold. The popularity of the ORLEN brand with Czech consumers is reflected by the fact that the ORLEN network of filling stations has been awarded as the Most Trustworthy Brand in Czechia six times and as the Merchant of the Year three times.
At its stations, ORLEN offers premium Efecta fuel with a proven purifying effect and top-class Verva fuel that cares for the engine system and offers enhanced performance parameters. ORLEN sites also provide alternative fuels, including liquified petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), synthetic fuel HVO100, and battery- and hydrogen-driven e-mobility. ORLEN offers electricity at 294 charging points and operates hydrogen refuelling stations in Prague- Barrandov and Litvínov-Záluží.
The Stop Cafe concept is a significant part of the offering, being a crucial pillar in ORLEN brand’s convenience sales. In the Czech Republic, Stop Cafe is available at 363 out of 443 filling stations, i.e., at more than 80% of them. It is offered at nearly 2,500 sites within the entire international network. Stop Cafe offers a broad range of meals and food products – from popular hotdogs and coffee to more than 1,000 products, including packaged food, ready-to-serve meals, and specialities in traditional, vegetarian, and vegan versions. The offer keeps developing – the ORLEN competence centre in Prague is working on new product ranges focused on a healthy lifestyle, including breakfasts, bakery products, ready-to-serve meals, and private brand products that will react to the current trends and customer needs.
ORLEN also issues its own fuel cards, EASY and BUSINESS, and runs two mobile apps – the loyalty ORLEN app and a car care app, Mycí digi linka.
Contact details:
Lada Gadas, +420 705 839 909, email: lada.gadas@orlenunipetrol.cz