Christmas Appeal 2023: Rotorua cafe’s Coffee for a Can Day is back this December

Freshly roasted barista coffees will be handed out at Rotorua’s Scope Cafe on December 5 in exchange for non-perishable food items.

The cafe’s Coffee for a Can Day is being held to support the Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal 2023 which is being run in conjunction with The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM.

The appeal runs until December 23 and aims to collect donations of food and money to help fill the foodbank’s shelves and assist the Salvation Army with its work through the Christmas period and into 2024.

Scope cafe owner Dana Greer said “it’s actually my favourite day of the year because it’s absolute chaos!”

Greer said there was a “lot of need” in the Rotorua community for food donations.

“This is probably the hardest year we’ve noticed. Poverty doesn’t take a break during the holidays,” she said.

Rotorua cafe Scope owners Dana (left) and Steven Greer. Photo / Maryana Garcia

In 2022, the appeal raised $76,500 worth of donations as the soaring cost of living forced some people out of their homes and pushed others to their financial limits.

This year, the appeal hopes to raise even more, lending a hand to those turning to the foodbank for help, including people with jobs and mortgages struggling to feed their families.

Greer said locals had already started to donate canned and non-perishable goods to the cafe on Tutanekai St.

“We will store them away and we’ll have them ready for the Salvation Army to come and pick them up.”

Greer said the hospitality business rostered more staff on Coffee for a Can Day to compensate for one of their busiest days of the year.

“Everybody is in such a good mood.”

Rotorua Salvation Army foodbank corps officer Hana Seddon said she was “rapt” Scope washelping the organisation again this year.

“It’s already a busy enough time for the hospitality industry and we really appreciate it when people make room for others in this season.”

Michaela Pointon is an NZME reporter based in the Bay of Plenty and was formerly a feature writer.