Barista’s “The Coffee That Gives”, helps remote school
View(s):Popular coffee house Barista Lavazza heralded in 2015 with the need to make a difference. The team felt that with the new school year, they 
should reach out to provide school essentials for children. Niyadhagala Vidyalaya, a remote school in the village of Thanamalwila was selected for the project.
Titled “The Coffee That Gives”, Barista’s simple yet effective plan saw customers purchasing a range of selected food and beverage items. The purchase of these products saw a contribution of Rs.15 going towards the charity fund. The management at Barista then pledged to match the total collection rupee for rupee. As the number of diners grew through the festive season, so did the fund which ultimately doubled through the company contribution.
A total of 125 school supply packs were purchased. Each pack comprised a school bag, uniform material, lunch box, water bottle, exercise books, pens and pencils etc. A Rs. 1000 gift voucher for shoes was also included.
The project was generously supported by the Foundation of Goodness (FoG).
On January 25, the team at Barista set out to Thanamanwila. Arriving at Niyadhagala Vidyalaya, they found this was an ideal school to benefit from the project. A single large hall made up the entire school with classes being separated only by spaces between each other. Welcomed by the teachers with the traditional lighting of the oil lamp, the team then proceeded to hand out the school packs to the excited children.