A cup of tea to end child poverty in NZ and overseas
When Aucklander, Gill Bredl heard about an abandoned baby girl dying from starvation in a Haiti hospital she knew she needed to help.
Soon helping this one little girl turned into providing food for more than 50 children, so Gill knew that she needed to find a long-term funding solution to continue feeding hungry kids.
Charity Tea was born.
Charity Tea is a social enterprise that sells organic, ethically sourced loose-leaf tea online and at selected cafes and shops around the country. All profits from the sale of the teas go towards feeding hungry kids in Haiti and most recently, in New Zealand.
"Being a mum myself, I just couldn’t turn the other way and assume that someone else would do something. Instead, I made this problem my own," says Gill.
With old favourites like English Breakfast and Earl Grey, as well as Organic Kawakawa, Orange Spice Mate, Peppermint, Peach Honeybush and health-promoting blends for relaxation, liver cleansing and immunity, there is something for every taste.
Charity Tea's impact also extends to the environment. Individual tea blend packaging is certified home compostable, while a refill tin option is available.
Gill explains that while initially Charity Tea was set up to provide food for kids in Haiti, learning about the rates of child poverty in New Zealand motivated her to extend her focus towards supporting kids locally.
“It’s now my mission that every child in NZ will go to school with a packed lunch and be able to access education without being distracted by hunger."
Charity Tea partners with two charities - Little Footprints, Big Steps in Haiti and The Kai Kitchen in New Zealand.
For more information about Charity Tea, visit www.charitytea.co.nz.