'For Each Other' stamp issue reprint by Hungary Post

As stocks of the stamp with a surcharge For Each Other have run out, Magyar Posta is issuing a reprint with a change of face value to aid the victims of the red sludge disaster. The printing costs of producing the stamp are being borne by the print works Allami Nyomda Nyrt.

Magyar Posta has a long tradition of helping people in sudden need or the achievement of noble aims through its stamp issuing practice, or more precisely by issuing stamps with a surcharge with the consent of the minister supervising releases. The proceeds from the amount in excess of the face value are devoted to the supported cause. The first such Hungarian stamp was issued in 1913 for the benefit of flood victims in Krasso-Szoreny county in historic Hungary. Since then Magyar Posta has released stamps to collect donations for charitable purposes on many occasions.

This year numerous natural disasters have afflicted the country, so there has been a need for solidarity to help the many victims. Stamp purchasers have again demonstrated that many small donations can offer a significant amount of aid. For example, this year Magyar Posta collected a total of HUF 26 million from the sale of the stamp for flood victims with a surcharge of HUF 100. Of this HUF 10 million went to the local authority of Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen county in June and HUF 16 million to Caritas Hungarica in September. The latter sum financed the restoration of a kindergarten building and the acquisition of boilers for families in need. In two months HUF 8 million has been collected for the people affected by the red sludge disaster, which has been donated to the Disaster Relief Fund.

The reprint of the For Each Other stamp was made possible through the good offices of the state printers Allami Nyomda Nyrt, who for the second time since 1997 have covered the costs of printing the stamps and provided the paper for their production free of charge.