Studenac Donates Half a Ton of Food and 5,000 Liters of Water
The retail chain assisted firefighters and evacuees in Omiš, Potomje, and Pučišća, with employees preparing sandwiches and loading pallets of water through the night.
The retail chain assisted firefighters and evacuees in Omiš, Potomje, and Pučišća, with employees preparing sandwiches and loading pallets of water through the night.
During the wildfires that have affected Omiš, Pelješac, and Brač over the past few days, the retail chain Studenac has donated more than half a ton of food and nearly five thousand liters of drinking water and other beverages, the company announced. Assistance was organized directly from stores in the affected areas, tailored to the needs of firefighters, reception centers, and local communities.
The most demanding situation was in Omiš and along the Omiš Riviera, where the company is headquartered. The Ribnjak sports hall, located right next to the largest Studenac store in Omiš, now serves as a center for receiving people who had to leave their homes, including tourists. From the Omiš store, Studenac, in cooperation with the Red Cross, provided and delivered over 450 kilograms of food and about three thousand liters of drinking water and other beverages.
At the reception center in Omiš, there were around two thousand evacuees at certain moments. In addition to food and water, Studenac provided hygiene products, paper goods, and other essential supplies for firefighters and evacuees.
Ana Jerković, store manager at Studenac, and Marija Rodić Tomasović, area manager, along with their teams, were available to firefighters and the Red Cross throughout the night and the following day. Jerković recounted that just before closing, a Red Cross representative requested two pallets of water, dairy products, diapers, and wet wipes for children.
"My colleague Režica Tomasović, who was just finishing her shift, provided them with everything needed and, after a brief trip home, returned to the store just an hour later when the situation became much more intense and a much larger number of people began arriving at the Ribnjak hall," Jerković said.
Jerković herself arrived at the store in the middle of the night as soon as she learned that the road to Omiš was open. With her colleague Sandra, she took over the store and immediately began preparing water and nearly 400 sandwiches for firefighters, followed by supplies for additional sandwiches, new pallets of water, and fruit for the reception center.
"In addition, I connected our colleagues from other stores with the Red Cross because they also wanted to donate," Jerković added.
On Brač, 720 liters of drinking water were provided for firefighters in the Pučišća area. In Potomje on Pelješac, the reception center was supplied with over 130 kilograms of food and nearly 1,100 liters of drinking water, intended for approximately 250 evacuated residents and visitors. Although the store in Potomje did not serve customers during the fire, it remained open to provide assistance and receive donations for firefighters and those at the reception center.
Due to extremely difficult conditions on the ground and uncertain circumstances for employees and customers, seven Studenac stores in the Omiš, Mimice, Stanići, and Ruskamen areas were closed on Friday, August 14, 2026. In Omiš, four stores operated normally. Over the weekend, the company prepared the closed stores for operation, and on Monday, August 17, all were reopened to customers.
All Studenac stores on Pelješac in fire-affected areas, specifically in Trpanj, Kuna Pelješka, and Potomje, operated during their regular hours. Studenac has more than 300 employees in the Omiš area, and the company was in contact with them from the first hours to identify those who were evacuated or whose homes were threatened.
Jerković stated that they were the proudest Studenac employees that night because firefighters, police, and the Red Cross had only praise for all the donations and effort. After assessing the damage, Studenac will maintain contact with local communities to continue helping during the recovery, and will also provide financial assistance for the purchase of new firefighting equipment for the Omiš Volunteer Fire Department.
