Have a cup of coffee for good cause

Terry Kerry's cafe, Taste Cornucopia, will be one of five helping children suffering with cancer, through the new Coffee for Courage campaign. Paul Taylor

Coffee will become more than a drink for five cafes in Hastings and Havelock North, as they participate in the Child Cancer Foundation's fundraising campaign, Coffee for Courage.

Customers who purchase a $10 Courage Coffee card will receive a free coffee from each participating cafe with proceeds going toward helping children suffering with cancer.

Three New Zealand children are diagnosed each week, according to the foundation.

Participating cafes are Taste Cornucopia and Sutto Caffe in Hastings, with Maina, Adam & Eva's and Hawthorne in Havelock North.

Foundation business development manager Vicky Rope, said there was no hesitation from the cafes in backing the cause.

"It is a great opportunity for locals to try new cafes, and also support children with cancer and their families."

"It's a good cause, when the staff heard they were chuffed," Taste Cornucopia owner Terry Kerry said: "Cancer is tragic, and when younger people get it it's particularly tragic."

He said Coffee for Courage also provided promotional value for the cafe, and he hoped the money they raised would aid research to increase raise cancer survival rates.

Maina Cafe owner Katie Green, a mother of five, didn't even need to be talked into signing up for the campaign, as her natural empathy took over.

"My heart goes out to people with sick children", she said. "We couldn't even imagine if one of our kids suffered like that."

Mrs Rope said as the foundation relied on the generosity of New Zealanders to be able to continue providing support to families when they needed it most, as they did not receive government funding.

"At any one time we are supporting more than 500 families across the country," she said.

Mrs Rope said the Foundation aims to reduce the impact of cancer by offering services that ensure children and their families are supported, informed and well cared for at every stage of their cancer journey.

They hope to run the campaign in Napier in the coming months.