2020 has been a challenging year for so many people. Yet, people have also shown how much we can come together to do good. We have certainly seen that at Club Coffee.
When the arrival of Covid-19 changed daily life in mere days, our entire team made the adjustments necessary to keep up with changing demands. We made sure they could count on a safe, healthy workplace – and they did their part to keep the coffee flowing.
Then, our people went a step further. It started with a single request for some coffee for the staff of a paramedic station near our plant. As one of our team said, “it’s good to help someone else.”
That commitment quickly mushroomed into Club’s Fuel the Heroes campaign. We delivered coffee to frontline heroes – hospital staff, firefighters, people at care facilities, teams at community agencies and so many more. Social media picked up on our campaign, which enabled us to reach out further and faster. The result so far has been more than 1.2 million cups of delicious coffee going out to thank those heroes.
That spirit of giving back also reaches around the world through Club Coffee’s support for the important work of Grounds for Health (www.groundsforhealth.org).
The coffee we all enjoy starts its journey to our cups through the work of women who do at least 70% of the picking, sorting and harvesting in coffee-producing regions. Grounds for Health has worked to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer among these very women for 25 years.
In 2020 alone, thanks in part to Club Coffee funding, Grounds for Health’s staff in Kenya and Ethiopia were able to deal with the impacts of pandemic lockdowns to deliver critical services. This meant:
- Screening almost 10,000 women for cervical cancer;
- Treating 850 women for cervical pre-cancer; and
- Training 28 healthcare providers.
They went further, by introducing new technology that enables women to screen themselves, which means higher-quality care and improved community reach, while supporting social distancing. We are proud to help keep that work going in 2021. We are devoting funds that, in a very different time, went to sending you our traditional holiday coffee selections but that does so much more now through Grounds for Health.
As we have learned in 2020, we are all in this together. And may that same spirit be with us, as we look forward to 2021.
Sincerely,
John Pigott
CEO
How can you help?
We encourage you, whether as individuals, groups or businesses to consider supporting the work of Grounds for Health directly yourself.
The organization has identified many ways that individuals and companies can help support its valuable work around the coffee-growing world.
Individuals can:
- Contribute directly:
www.groundsforhealth.org/donate - Use AmazonSmile and they will donate 0.5% of all your purchases:
www.groundsforhealth.org/amazon - Ask their employers to set up and match donations, such as through employee giving programs
- Tell your elected representatives that you support global cervical cancer prevention
- Follow GFH & spread the word:
www.facebook.com/groundsforhealth
www.twitter.com/grounds4health
www.instagram.com/groundsforhealth
Companies can:
- Become supporters at whatever level is appropriate:
http://www.groundsforhealth.org/support/ - Work with GFH to design a mutually-beneficial cause-related marketing initiative and create a unique brand engagement opportunity
- Facilitate employee giving to GFH and match employee contributions
- Donate or buy premium green coffee during the organization’s annual online coffee auction
- Encourage other companies to join the effort by matching your support
Grounds for Health’s mission is to prevent cervical cancer in coffee communities. We have a small team in Vermont and eight in-country staff in Africa, all working toward our vision to build a bridge to globally inclusive health care.
| Tel: +1 (802) 876-7835 www.groundsforhealth.org |
| 600 Blair Park Road, Suite 311 Williston, VT 05495, USA |
