Two Sint Maarten groups win second-place Dutch volunteer awards

Perpetual Plastics by EPIC and the Freegan Food Foundation each won a second-place National Volunteer Award from the Association for Volunteerism in the Netherlands, the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA) said on Wednesday, 23 September. Perpetual Plastics placed in the Nature and Environment category, covering Sustainable Development Goals 13, 14 and 15; the Freegan Food Foundation placed in Livelihood Security, under Goals 1 and 10.

Sixty-six nominees competed for five second-place prizes of €3,000 each, from 322 entries, SHTA said, and the other 60 nominees received €1,000 third-place prizes. It is the first year the Dutch Caribbean islands were included in the nominations, which the Foresee Foundation pushed for, according to SHTA.

The jury credited Perpetual Plastics with collecting and processing plastic that washes up on Sint Maarten, with the help of more than 1,000 volunteers, and said the Freegan Food Foundation saves hundreds of kilograms of food each week while running a food bank, clothing bank and second-hand shop. The United Nations has declared 2026 the Year of the Volunteer, and both organisations thanked their volunteers, SHTA said.