Dilmah donates handcrafted pottery to hospice shops

Dilmah donates handcrafted pottery to hospice shops

Long term supporter of hospice, Dilmah, is extending the benefits of the Mankada project into New Zealand through the hospice shop network.

40,000 hand crafted pottery pendants and tea bag holders will be available for sale from early September at hospice shops throughout the country. This extremely generous donation will generate around $200,000 to support hospice services and ensure they remain completely free of charge to people with a life limiting illness, their families and friends.

The Mankada pottery venture is one of the many community based projects created by Merrill J Fernando’s MJF Foundation, the charitable arm of Dilmah tea, which was founded on the philosophy of what Merrill coined, “Business as a matter of human service.”

The project empowers a rural community in a remote and poor village close to the Uda Walawe National Park in South Eastern Sri Lanka – providing employment and a source of income for many local women.

For the past two years a local master potter, Ajith Perera, has trained and guided the community in the art of pottery making. The results are exquisite items which are enjoyed throughout the world thanks to the support of Dilmah, whose generosity has brought them to New Zealand for the benefit of hospice.

Dilmah has been a supporter of hospices throughout New Zealand for the past 12 years, each year donating all the tea every hospice around the country requires as well as providing a sizeable donation to Hospice NZ to support awareness raising projects.

“The donation of pendants from the Mankada project is doubly meaningful – the funds that hospices will generate from sales of these items will go directly into supporting people using our services, whilst also supporting and empowering the women of the village back in Sri Lanka. What wonderful benefits from such a generous gift” explains Mary Schumacher, CEO of Hospice NZ.

Look out for these beautiful items for sale for just $5 in your local hospice shop from early September – all purchases support hospice services here in New Zealand as well as the village communities of South Eastern Sri Lanka.

For more information go to www.hospice.org.nz and www.mjffoundation.org

ENDS

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