Pierre Johannessen is spearheading the Santa’s Stocking Fundraising efforts. Photo: @wearefoundau Daniella Jukic.
A new fundraising initiative aims to tap into the festive generosity of Canberrans enjoying Christmas drinks or a festival meal this December. Santa’s Stocking Christmas Fundraiser brings together local restaurants and bars to raise money for three local Canberra organisations at the frontline of community outreach.
Pierre Johannessen regularly runs Christmas fundraisers, including a toy gift drive for the past eight years. Over that time, he’s had lots of local venues reach out to help in other ways – making sandwiches for volunteers or donating meals – and this year he decided to formalise those relationships and give the Canberra public the opportunity to get involved.
“There are so many great fundraisers over Christmas and this is an opportunity for people who might not have the chance to go out and buy, wrap and donate a toy,” Pierre told Region.
“Everybody is busy at this time of year, but the response from restaurants has been nothing short of humbling. There was no convincing to do; everyone just said ‘yep, we’re in’. It’s been amazing.”
Pierre’s a regular at Zaab, owned by Becky Khanthavongsa. Photo: Zaab.
Participating venues include Lala Hospitality group (Molly, 88MPH, Highball Express, VICE and Amici Bar), EightyTwenty cafes, Yum Cha CBD, Lazy Su, and Cartel Taqueria and more. Owner of Lonsdale Street sister venues Zaab and Senn Noods, Becky Khanthavongsa, said she didn’t hesitate when asked to participate.
“Pierre has been a long-time customer and friend, and he does something for Christmas every year, like his toy drive. I always try to participate personally, so when he wanted to do something on a business level this year, I jumped straight in,” she explained.
“I don’t often have the time or capacity to organise something like this myself, so when someone else is doing the work, it makes it so much easier to participate. And Christmas is the time of giving!”
She says that her staff have an excellent rapport with customers, so she’s hoping they’ll have a bit of fun with the fundraising challenge and raise plenty of money.
Melted is one of the businesses where you can donate to Santa’s Stocking Christmas Fundraiser. Photo: Melted/Instagram.
Alex Royds from Melted Toasted Sandwich Emporium is another participating business. He’s pleased to be part of a fundraiser that makes donating so easy.
“We always like trying to give back in a meaningful way, and it’s important to see where the money is going: local and direct.”
And he’s up for a bit of friendly competition to see which venue can raise the most money!
“I’m hoping we’ll do well … If we can get small donations from lots of people, that might work in our favour. I love a bit of competition, and it’s even better when it’s for a good cause.”
Donations will be split between Roundabout Canberra, Barnardos Canberra and the Galilee School, run by Communities at Work.
Each venue will have a unique QR code that customers can use to choose their donation destination. There will be a daily ‘Stocking Check’ to tally up the donations, and even visits from Santa on 19 and 20 December!
It’s especially impressive to see the hospitality industry taking the opportunity to give back to the community when you consider the challenges of running a small business during the cost-of-living crisis and the issues faced by businesses in the city centre.
Visit participating venues between 1 and 20 December and look for the Santa’s Stocking Fundraiser QR code to make your donation.
