Zharity Newsletter January 2026

We’re starting the year off strong with new volunteering and partnership opportunities!

Engagement Opportunities

January Zharity Coffee Talk for New and Existing Members

We are hosting an IN PERSON Zharity Coffee Talk on Thursday, January 29th at 9:30 AM at The Bridge in Europa Allee. This is an opportunity to learn more about Zharity and our open volunteering opportunities, and to have your questions answered. Whether you are an existing volunteer and/or Verein member or are new to Zharity and want to learn more, we welcome you to join us. Click here to register.

Winter Clothing Donations

If one of your New Years resolutions is to get rid of clutter, consider donating your gently used items to us! We are currently looking for winter clothing - both indoor and outdoor, but you may have other things our partners need!

For tips on making your donation more impactful, see or blog post. For a list of what we’re accepting, please check our wishlist.

Zharity’s Annual General Meeting

Zharity held its Annual General Assembly Meeting (AGM) on January 20, 2026. The AGM provides the opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the past year and to discuss the future direction of the Verein. We extend our sincere thanks to all Verein and team members who attended and participated in voting on key organizational matters.

During the meeting, we reviewed the many accomplishments of 2025 and voted on several important items, including the 2026 budget, amendments to the Verein bylaws and Board representatives.

We are pleased to welcome new members to the Board. Members re-elected Rebecca Coyle as President, and Kay Dermatis as Secretary and new Board members Rebecca Janssen as Treasurer, and Chrissie Beeston as Membership Chair. Zharity would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Hannah Nelson for her two years of dedicated service as Treasurer. We look forward to working with the new Board and to an exciting and productive year ahead for Zharity!

Announcing the Zharity Corporate Partner Program

Zharity is proud to launch our new Corporate Partner Program, inviting companies across Zürich to join us in creating sustainable community impact. As a 100% volunteer-based nonprofit, Zharity relies on Corporate Partnerships to support our local work — including our redistribution network and essential-needs efforts that directly support our Community Partners.

Through the program, partners gain access to hands-on, team-building volunteer activities that make a visible local difference while strengthening employee engagement and corporate culture.

The program offers flexible partnership levels with benefits such as social media recognition, dedicated team events, and opportunities to sponsor seasonal goods collections. In-kind contributions are also welcomed.

The Corporate Partner Program helps Zharity plan ahead, reach more communities, and drive meaningful outcomes. For more information on how your company can get involved, please reach out to us at: president@zharity.ch

Updates and Thank Yous

Pad Project Sewing Update: Seeking Sewing Volunteers!

We capped off the Reusable Pad Project last year with a gathering of our volunteer sewers. Thanks to this group, we’ve been able to make 1,500 reusable pads for our partners!

We are always looking for more sewers to join this wonderful community. Sewers with their own machines can sign up to take home packs of pads. If you don’t have your own machine, or would rather sew in a group setting, our friend and sewing volunteer, Katherine Hege from Knit-Sew, will be graciously hosting open pad sewing events at her sewing studio in Zollikerberg on some Monday mornings throughout the Spring.

Volunteer sign ups for future material preparation events and home sewing will be coming in Spring - so keep an eye out to be part of this impactful project.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support the Pad Project—together, we are making a real difference, one stitch at a time. 💙

Estée Lauder Winter Clothing Collection

Sincere thanks to the Women in Supply Chain Team at Estée Lauder Companies in Switzerland for their collaboration in organizing a winter collection in their Wollerau office of gently-used winter items. This incredible team came together and collected 19 bags of quality clothing in just one week! 🙌

We are so thrilled with their response and generosity in helping us support our Community Partners wish list in providing warm clothing for people in need over the Christmas period.

Thank you, Estée Lauder Companies for making such a big impact with your kindness and teamwork! We look forward to continuing our collaboration in 2026.

Thank you, ICSZ!

Our friends at ICSZ really got into the giving spirit in December, supporting us in several ways.

Firstly, a group of ICSZ students spent their lunch hour making 200 kits to go to children in the Zürich area! the kits included both hygiene and school items.

Secondly, ICSZ organized a hygiene drive for Zharity, collecting essential hygiene items for us to redistribute to people in need.

Finally, ICSZ selected Zharity to be one of the beneficiaries of their Christmas Market fundraising effort!

We’re incredibly grateful for the generosity of the students, PA board and community at ICSZ, who continue to support our work in the community! You can read the full blog post about these projects here.

Thank You, WAC Uster

A heartfelt thank you to Women’s Activity Center (WAC) Uster for hosting a toy drive in late 2025 and helping spread joy to children and families in our community.

By opening your space and mobilizing your network, you turned generosity into real impact. The thoughtfulness of the donations and the warmth behind the effort truly captured the spirit of the season. We are grateful for your partnership and for making a difference - one toy (and smile) at a time.