In 2017, Barry Schofield came up with the perfect recipe to shake up St Leonard’s Brighton Beach Uniting Church Pancake Day fundraising activities.
Barry was watching a news story about people sleeping rough at Flinders Street Station in Melbourne and noticed an interviewee was holding a cup of coffee.
“It made me think that if 100 people saved the cost of a cup of coffee each week, it would quickly add up to a sizeable amount,” says Barry.
From there, Barry and Church minister, Rev Kim Cain developed a plan.
From International Coffee Day on 1 October, they asked congregation members to accept a coffee mug and take on ‘The Coffee Mug Challenge.’
Each participant made a commitment to put $4 each week in their mug for 20 weeks, until Shrove Tuesday – or Pancake Day as it’s commonly known.
During the Sunday Church service prior to Pancake Day, congregation members placed the funds from their coffee mugs in a bowl at the front of the Church.
Participants were then treated to coffee and pancakes.
Close to $11,000 was raised in the first year of the challenge.
Since then, St Leonard’s Brighton Beach Uniting Church has raised over $35,000 for people in crisis.
