Empty coffee jars can help residential homes for children

Empty coffee jars can help fill the food cupboards at several residential homes for children through a new campaign launched yesterday.

The Nescafé Giving Goodness campaign, launched by Nestlé, is offering coffee lovers the opportunity to help the children of Ejjew Għandi, an organisation that runs about 17 homes that cater for over 200 children.

Nescafé Classic jars of 100 or 200 grammes can be exchanged for vouchers and donated to the organisation.

The vouchers are worth 50c or €1 each and can be redeemed on showing the empty jars bearing the Maltese-flagged guarantee seal.

Rather than exchange the vouchers for mugs or other gifts, through an ongoing promotion, customers can offer the vouchers to help the children. The company will then double the value of the vouchers and donate the equivalent in Nestlé food and beverage products to the organisation.

Giorgio Mondovi, the managing director of Nestlé Malta, explained that 30 per cent of the company's clients usually made use of gift schemes and he was confident that people would use these schemes to help Malta's children in need.

The scheme was limited to Nescafé Classic because it was the most popular product with about 70 per cent of Nescafé consumers picking it, he added. Mgr Victor Zammit McKeon, the director of Ejjew Għandi, explained that the heads of the various homes had provided Nestlé with a list of products needed in the various homes. "Of course, we're not going to give our children coffee," he joked. Mgr Zammit McKeon added that the organisation received €35 a week per child in children's allowance. This was not sufficient to cover costs that included food, clothing, schooling and health expenses apart from the homes' running costs.

As he gave a brief glimpse of life inside the homes, he explained that, just yesterday morning, two boys who were brought up in a residential home were heartbroken when they were moved into another institution for older children.

"The nuns and caregivers who brought them up were also sad to see the two boys leave. But there was no choice... We do our best to give them the best education and upbringing they ultimately have a right to. This way they can move on to independent living," Mgr Zammit McKeon said.

Anyone wishing to exchange Nescafé Classic jars can do so at the company's head office in Lija or at Maltapost offices in Cospicua or in Għarb.

People can also help Ejjew Għandi by making direct donations to BOV account 1320 2175 0 18 or phone on 5004 9155 to donate €5 and 5004 9150 to donate €10.