1,000 yellow parcels will be making their way from the Oder-Spree district to destinations all over Germany over the coming weeks and months. "RückCARE-Paket" is the name of this campaign, which was developed by the Oder-Spree District Development and Infrastructure Office.
The word "RückCARE-Paket" is made up of two parts: "Rück" stands for "return" and indicates that the parcel is intended to appeal to people who could return to their home, the Oder-Spree district. "CARE" is the English word for "concern" or "care". It is reminiscent of the so-called CARE packages that were sent to Germany as aid packages after the Second World War. Here, the term is used in a new context: The package is intended to be a loving gesture to remind those who have moved away of their homeland and to make it palatable for them to return.
"The aim of the campaign is to draw attention to the existence of our welcome and returnee initiative and its tasks," explains Sandra Jakobitz, who is responsible for the project at the Office for District Development and Infrastructure. "At the same time, of course, I hope that the 'RückCARE package' will be well received and that as many people as possible who wish to return to their old home will contact me. I would like to support them in their plans to return to the district."
The Oder-Spree district's welcome and returnee initiative has been a member of the "Arriving in Brandenburg" network since 2024, in which stakeholders from many regions of Brandenburg work together to encourage more people to move to Brandenburg or return.
Sandra Jakobitz is currently personally packing the yellow parcels in her office at the district administration office. They contain some regional specialties, information material about the region and contact information for the Welcome and Returnee Initiative.
"We are currently in talks with our towns and municipalities, because the idea is for citizens to pick up the parcel themselves in their towns and send it to a person who they can imagine moving back to the district or who they would simply like to have back here," says Sandra Jakobitz. The parcels are stamped and handed to the recipients unsealed. "A personal greeting or another small gift can then be added to the parcel before it is finally sent."
Neither the sender nor the recipient of the parcel will incur any costs, as the project is funded by the state of Brandenburg.
How can interested parties obtain the "RückCARE package"?
As soon as the towns and municipalities in the Oder-Spree district have reported the locations where the parcels can be picked up, things will get underway. The information will be published directly on the Oder-Spree district homepage and on the websites of the respective municipalities.
If you don't want to wait that long, you can already collect a parcel from Sandra Jakobitz in the office. Please call 03366 35-1613 or email sandra.jakobitz@l-os.de to make an appointment.