Community coffee break card designed to raise money for mental health

Ten local cafes have banded together to help support mental health initiatives in Thunder Bay.

Brian Hamilton, owner of the Bean Fiend Café, said proceeds from the community coffee break card will be given to education programs funded by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

The idea hatched in a matter of weeks, Hamilton said.

“Not everybody is touched necessarily by someone with a big chronic illness, but everybody’s touched no doubt by people that are struggling with issues of mental health,” Hamilton said. “So it’s important to keep it going, strike the gong on this to keep some momentum.”

Cards cost $10 and the proceeds go to the CMHA.

“It entitles you to two free coffees at every coffee shop listed on the card. We have 10 coffee shops across Thunder Bay, in Fort William, Port Arthur – lots of new ones, lots of small ones and micro cafés, really emphasizing the craft and small-business nature of all of them.”
The cards are good for dine-in coffees only, no takeout.

This was done on purpose, Hamilton said.

“We’re trying to encourage people to come in and enjoy the environment of the cafés, as well as bringing a date to get a cup of coffee and maybe talk about how the winter treated them,” he said.

Elly Toes, the advancement consultant at CMHA’s Thunder Bay location, said they’re hoping to sell 1,000 community coffee break cards, which would raise about $10,000.

Programs that might be supported include applied suicide intervention training can learn skills to help people who might have suicidal thoughts stay safe.

“EMS workers coming across someone, how can they talk them into being in a safe place? Maybe it’s only 24 hours, but it might help them with that issue,” she said.

“We also have Pathways to Joy and we also have family programs where maybe you have a family member is dealing with a mental-health issue and you’re helping them with their recovery, but it’s taking its toll on you.”

One-in-five people in Canada, and one-in-four in Ontario deal with a mental-health issue in their lifetime.

Anything that gets people together and talking about the problem openly is a good thing, Tose said.

“There are people who aren’t necessarily getting the help that they need,” she said, adding not everyone who says they’re fine is actually 100 per cent OK. 

“The idea behind this is you get a coffee, you bring a friend with you and they get a coffee and you check with in how they’re doing.”
Cards go on sale on Monday.

Participating coffee shops include:

• Cronos Café (433 Syndicate Ave.)
• Club Cappuccino (595 W. Arthur Street)
• Espresso Joya (8 Cumberland St. South)
• The Bean Fiend Café (194 S. Algoma Street)
• The Waking Giant (59 Court St.)
• Renaissance Café (516A Victoria Ave. East)
• Bliss Café (87 Cumberland St. N.)
• Garden Café (415 Fort William Rd.)
• Sweet Escape (2-271 Bay St.)
• Fox on the Run (1100 B Memorial Ave.)