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SERIES: Our employees are as diverse as their volunteer activities

As diverse as our employees are, so are their volunteer activities

"Connecting People, Improving Lives” – this is the guiding principle of DHL EXPRESS. The company’s commitment to this vision is reflected in the Volunteers at EXPRESS program. Through this initiative, colleagues from around the world have the opportunity to showcase their volunteer work. It doesn’t matter whether they support non-profit organizations, get involved in local projects and initiatives, or use their passions to help others.

From Animal Lover to Animal Shelter Manager

At the DHL Hub Leipzig, many employees are also engaged in volunteer work – one of them is Lisa. Lisa has been part of the DHL Hub Leipzig team since the summer of 2017. As a member of the sorting hall team, she ensures every night that thousands of shipments reach their destinations. She scans outgoing shipments and is responsible for making sure they are correctly sorted and traceable. Her work primarily involves the forklift area, where she handles larger freight.

In her free time, Lisa is passionately committed to helping cats. The loss of her childhood cat and the COVID-19 pandemic motivated her to take up volunteer work. At the time, she wasn’t in a position to adopt a cat of her own, so volunteering at an animal shelter seemed like the perfect fit. She applied to the Felidae Small Animal Protection Association after seeing a call for support. Lisa has been volunteering there since August 2020. As of February 2022, she officially serves as the shelter manager.

In addition to her two cats, Lisa also fosters cats at home. She has even set up a dedicated foster cat room in her apartment. Saying goodbye can be difficult, especially when caring for them at home. To fulfill her duties as shelter manager, she also obtained a certificate of competence in cat care from the local veterinary office.

Volunteering Meets Night Shift

Lisa is fully dedicated to her work, and anyone who speaks with her can immediately tell she’s a true cat expert. “Cats are solitary hunters – they hunt alone, but they are not loners.”

Together with 30 colleagues, she currently cares for 40 cats. But her work goes far beyond daily feeding and cleaning. She attends vet appointments and rescues cats from hoarding and neglected households. She and her team also coordinate the neutering of stray cats.

“Today I got up at 12 and left at 1 PM for a neutering campaign. That meant we spent the afternoon catching cats in a garden complex, from 1 PM to 7:30 PM. After that, I went home, fed my own cats, had a quick bite to eat, and then headed to work. So I’ve already had a full day – and after my shift, it’s not over yet, because we didn’t manage to catch all the cats.”

She is also responsible for conducting home checks before potential adoptions. During these visits, she ensures that each new home provides a safe and suitable environment for the cats. Last year alone, she and her team found loving homes for 113 cats.

Author: Nadja Kapell
Published: April 2025