Finding Perspective Through Le+O

Most Friday mornings start the same way: coffee in hand, emails waiting, another full day at the office ahead. But every once in a while, Sophie and I trade in that routine for something completely different.

Instead of heading straight to our desks, we meet early and set out in a delivery truck with empty boxes in the back. Our destination isn’t the office, it’s a row of supermarkets across Vienna’s 21^st and 22^nd districts.

On the road in Floridsdorf, Vienna

We’re volunteering for Le+O, a Caritas Vienna project. The mission is both simple and powerful: collect surplus food from grocery stores and redistribute it in social markets, where people in need can shop with dignity and pay only a fraction of the price.

When we arrive at the first store, the staff greets us with a smile and shows us to bread, vegetables, and dairy products that would otherwise have gone to waste. The truck quickly fills up, and soon we’re off again. By the end of the route, the boxes are stacked to the ceiling. And we know that later that day, families who are struggling will find affordable groceries on the shelves, because volunteers like us helped bridge that gap.

What makes this experience even more meaningful is that we can do it through our employer, HOERBIGER. The company gives us time on Fridays to take part, and over the past year we’ve already volunteered several times. It’s a rare and valuable chance to step outside the office, contribute to something bigger, and connect as colleagues in a completely different setting.

Our truck quickly fills up

One of the things I’ve come to appreciate most are our conversations. In the car, between store stops, Sophie and I talk about everything. Sometimes about work, but often about life, perspectives, and challenges in ways we might never share in a meeting room. The different environment changes the dialogue, and that strengthens not just our teamwork, but our friendship as well.

For me, these mornings with Le+O carry a deep sense of purpose. They remind me how relative our everyday frustrations are and how a “stressful day at work” pales in comparison to not knowing how you’ll afford groceries for your family. Volunteering grounds me. It helps me see things more clearly. And when I return to my desk afterward, I bring with me a renewed focus, gratitude, and perspective that shape how I lead and how I work.

I’m grateful to Sophie for being part of this journey, to HOERBIGER for making space for it, and above all to the many volunteers who keep Le+O running every single day.

👉 Learn more about the project here: www.caritas-leo.at