- Community store network sets fundraising target of €100,000
- Partnership kicks off with Halloween fundraising drive
The Irish Hospice Foundation was today officially named as MACE’s new charity partner for 2014/2015, in which the retailer has set out to raise €100,000 for the Irish charity. The partnership will focus specifically on fundraising for the Foundation’s Nurses for Night Care programme, which is a free national service providing homecare nurses for people with illnesses.
To kick-off the partnership, MACE will be selling Halloween smile chocolate lollipops for €1 at stores nationwide with proceeds going to the IHF. The company will donate 10c from bottles of MACE water purchased along with a contribution from 50 other everyday items in the MACE Own Brand Range. Other fundraising initiatives for the Irish Hospice Foundation include collection boxes in your local store and ongoing seasonal themed promotions.
The Nurses for Night Care programme helps non-cancer patients with life limiting illness end their days at home surrounded by their families. The service is provided free of charge and operates in every county of Ireland.
The Irish Hospice Foundation needs to raise €410,000 to fund this service for a full year.This year 1,400 hours of Night Nursing care will be provided to people who avail of the service.
- Every €40 raised covers the average cost of an hour of night care. €323 covers the average cost of a full night of care.
- Demand for the service is expected to increase 14% this year compared to 2013, and a further 25% in 2015
- The vast majority are adults, but the service is provided to children too.
MACE’s charity partnership operates on a rotating basis and following a successful two-year period with Irish Autism Action, the Irish Hospice Foundation was selected as the group’s new partner by its retailers.
Suzanne Weldon, Marketing & Communications Director for MACE said, “For the first time, we asked retailers to decide who the MACE charity partner should be and the Irish Hospice Foundation stood out because the charity is centered on a cause that touches a lot of people and carries out great work in local communities.. Also, it has a nationwide footprint and this was very important to our retailers who also operate right across the country. We have an ambitious target to raise €100,000 for the charity, so we will be working with our independent retailers on several national and store level initiatives, and hope that our customers will be keen to show their support.”
Sharon Foley, Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Hospice Foundation today warmly welcomed the charity partnership with MACE. “We receive no core funding from the State and without the generosity of companies such as MACE, and people all over Ireland, we could not carry out our work. Nurses for Night Care is making a huge difference to people’s lives and provides respite to patients and their relatives at a very difficult time.
“We are delighted to have been selected by MACE to benefit from the generosity of its Shoppers for 2014/2015 and we look forward to bringing the message of the work of the Irish Hospice Foundation to MACE customers through its network of stores all over the country.”
For more information on the Irish Hospice Foundation or to make a donation, visit www.hospicefoundation.ie
