Media release
2.8.2010

A brighter winter for City Mission thanks to generous café-goers

A recent fundraising initiative by Auckland’s five Belgian Beer Cafes brought out the best in their patrons with a significant amount of money and a generous stash of non-perishable food items donated in support of the Auckland City Mission.

The café’s – De Fontein in Mission Bay, De Post in Mt Eden, The Ponsonby in Ponsonby, Blankenberge in Takapuna and the Occidental in the central city – all got into the festive spirit with staff members leading the way and generating mid-winter Christmas goodwill among their customers during the fundraising week.
With $1 from each main course sold during the promotional week and an additional five percent of all revenue taken during a mid-winter Christmas charity dinner on July 22, a cheque for thousands of dollars was presented to the Auckland City Mission to assist with the running of their soup kitchen. In addition, the Mission’s food bank received hundreds of cans of tinned food and an impressive quantity of other non-perishable provisions thanks to collection boxes at each of the venues.

Four of the establishments involved belong to national hospitality chain Frenzi Group with Blankenberge owned by Kevin Schwass. Frenzi Group director Brian Collins says it was heartening to see the initiative take off among staff and customers, and he was impressed with the generosity shown by Aucklanders.

“Our young staff members were the ones that suggested the fundraising idea and they really got behind it which was fantastic to see. Essentially it was young people thinking about those who are less fortunate than themselves and actually doing something tangible to show their support,” said Brian Collins.

“Winter will be a brighter time for many of the City Mission’s clients thanks to our big-hearted customers who generously supported this initiative. The event was such a success that the mid-winter Christmas charity week will become an annual fixture on the Frenzi Group’s calendar and we hope it will gain even more momentum next year.”

Auckland City Missioner Diane Robertson said generous gestures such as this one by Frenzi Group make all the difference to the work of the Mission which is increasingly under pressure from tight economic conditions.
Photo Caption: Frenzi Group director Brian Collins (centre) hands over a generous donation to Auckland City Missioner Diane Robertson while Kevin Schwass (right), owner of Blankenberge, looks on.

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