Spreading festive kindness in Tipperary for mental health charity Aware

A festive pay it forward style has been launched to encourage acts of kindness around Tipperary this Christmas, while raising thousands of Euro for mental health charity, Aware.

Maxol will directly donate10c from every cup of its ROSA Coffee or other hot drink purchased in Maxol Tipperary Town until 31st December to Aware.

Last year, the Christmas campaign raised more than €65,000 nationally, and Maxol hopes to surpass that figure with its new Cup of Kindness Campaign, which was launched by broadcaster and mental health advocate Keith Walsh (pictured).

Customers are invited to perform an act of kindness by purchasing a ROSA Coffee or other hot drink for someone else when they buy one for themselves.  Maxol hopes that this will spark a cycle of kindness around the county during the festive season that will help improve people's day.

Importantly, it will also raise much-needed funding for Aware, with Maxol donating 10c from every single hot drink purchased directly to the charity.  Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Aware is receiving 2,600 calls on average each month to its free support line and urgently needs more funding.

Drew Flood of Aware said: “Many of the calls to our free support line are now coming from people finding it a challenge to re-engage and re-emerge into society, following the Covid-19 Pandemic.  Our teams are noticing that the transition to reintegrate into society is proving a real challenge for many. 

“The ongoing support from corporate organisations like Maxol has enabled Aware to build on its regular services and we recently set up four weekly Ukraine Support Groups, which are providing a space for people who have fled following the invasion of their country in February. 

These are vital services and we are already seeing the benefits, but we need ongoing funding so we can continue to support those who need us.”

Keith Walsh, well-known broadcaster and mental health advocate launched the campaign and said: “I love this initiative. A small act of kindness does many things, when we are kind to someone not only do they feel better, but we feel better too.

There is a science to this - being kind boosts serotonin and dopamine and gives you feelings of satisfaction and well-being. Not only is it an act that shows someone that you care but it’s also an act of self-care. On top of that, raising money for Aware ensures that there will be a kind, caring voice at the end of a phone line when someone needs it most.”

In its six years of sponsorship, more than €600,000 has been raised by Maxol for Aware.