Nikau Foundation’s chocolate-munching call-to-action

Nikau Foundation’s chocolate-munching call-to-action to

support community resilience

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

22.06.18

Wellington’s community foundation is behind a campaign to build a pot of funding to make grants for building community resilience – and all they are asking the public to do is eat chocolate.

Nikau Foundation’s Pledge Me campaign started this week with a goal of at least $20,000 to kick off their new Wellington Resilience Fund from sales of the Wellington Resilience Bar. A proportion each bar sold goes directly in to the Wellington Resilience Fund.

“Everyone needs some chocolate in their emergency kits alongside the rice and candles right?” says Nikau Foundation General Manager Louise Parkin. “We are pleased to provide Wellingtonians with a way to give to their community while getting prepared for all the types of emergencies that we face living in this wonderful region. Whether it is an earthquake, tsunami or one of those smaller emergencies you might have in the office each week.”

Nikau Foundation came up with the idea for the chocolate bar in response to a request by the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office to form a partnership with Nikau to help make funding available for community resilience projects – particularly around the preparedness and connectedness in neighbourhoods. “This year our grants focus will be on the supply of water tanks and solar charged power banks in schools, community centres and marae, and also anything that brings neighbours together like predator-free activities for example” adds Louise. Eating chocolate for Wellington isn’t hard when the chocolate bar is the salted caramel, ethical bean-to-bar chocolate bar from the Wellington Chocolate Factory who have also added their support to the campaign.

The community foundation model provides a unique and lasting way for everyone to “give where they live”. All donations to the Wellington Resilience Fund are invested forever, with the interest on the capital distributed in grants each year. The bigger the fund, the more money can be distributed.

Donations and orders for the Wellington Resilience Bar can be made via the Pledge Me site at https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/5653-the-wellington-resilience-fund-givewhereyoulive, via their website at www.nikaufoundation.org.nz or by phone on 0800 986 7443.

Nikau Foundation is also keen to hear what resilience projects need funding across the region so they invite Wellingtonians to fill out the form on the Resilience Fund page on their website to help build a picture of community needs.

About Nikau Foundation

* Mission statement: Growing generosity and social investment to strengthen our Wellington communities.

* The Nikau Foundation is an independent charitable trust, part of a worldwide network of community foundations, that attracts gifts, trusts and legacies and invests them to preserve the capital and generate income to benefit the Greater Wellington region.

* The income from these investments is distributed to charitable organisations in accordance with each donor's wishes.
* The Foundation’s primary aim is to provide a simple, effective and long-lasting way for people in the Greater Wellington region to give to local causes now and in the future.

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