Coles launches fundraising appeal to support children's hospitals
28 April 2021
Coles will today launch a national campaign to help provide essential medical support for sick children including hospital care in homes and vaccinations for Indigenous children in remote communities.
From Wednesday 28 April until Tuesday 11 May, customers can help support the “Curing Homesickness” cause by purchasing a $2 donation card or buying a Mum’s Sause Pizza Sauce (new) or Pasta Sauce from Coles supermarkets across Australia, with 50 cents from each product sold supporting children’s hospitals.
For the first time, John Hunter Children’s Hospital in Newcastle will also become a beneficiary of the Curing Homesickness initiative which brings children’s hospitals from across Australia together to get sick kids home from hospital sooner or make their hospital stay easier.
Talking about the national campaign, Curing Homesickness CEO Nicola Stokes said:
“When a child is sick, two questions parents often ask are; ‘when will they get better, and when can we go home?’ Sometimes there may not be a definite answer to either question, but our aim is to do everything we can to help Australian paediatric hospitals support these families by getting them back home where they belong,” she said.
“By purchasing a jar of Mum’s Sause, or a $2 Curing Homesickness card, Coles customers can help fund vital projects to reduce the amount of time kids spend in hospital. We’re hoping everyone gets behind this easy, simple and powerful way to make a big difference to the lives of thousands of sick kids and their families across Australia.”
Coles Chief Sustainability, Property & Export Officer Thinus Keevé said Coles is delighted to work together with children’s hospitals to help sick kids.
“We’re extremely proud of our partnerships with children’s hospitals across Australia to help get sick kids home from hospital sooner,” he said.
“Together with our customers, Coles has already raised over $1.8 million for Curing Homesickness which has helped fund hospital upgrades, medical equipment and research as well as health specialists and therapists to support sick kids.”
"The generosity from our customers never ceases to impress us and we hope they can continue to get behind this wonderful cause over the next few weeks.”
Funds raised in NSW will help support Sydney Children’s Hospital Network launch Australia’s first 24/7 virtual kids’ hospital and allow the John Hunter Children’s Hospital in Newcastle to expand the Children’s Hospital in the Home service to include children with cystic fibrosis.
In Victoria, donations will go directly towards funding equipment such as ground-breaking virtual reality goggles to enable faster assessments and procedures for children at the Monash Children’s Hospital.
In Queensland, donations will help fund child life therapy positions within the Children’s Emergency Department at The Prince Charles Hospital for the very first time.
In South Australia, funds raised from South Australian stores will support the Play Therapist program at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, a telehealth program for the Paediatric Rehabilitation Department and the Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation Beach House in Victor Harbor.
In the Northern Territory, funds raised will support a Meningococcal B vaccination program for Aboriginal children living in remote communities.
Money raised in the ACT will help the Canberra Hospital Foundation to deliver an In-Home Therapeutic Massage program for parents and caregivers.
In Western Australia, funds raised will be directed to the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation to fund world-class equipment and technology at Perth Children’s Hospital.
Funds raised in Tasmania will support clinical research at the Royal Hobart Hospital Women’s and Children’s Services aimed at improving the medical care and experience of children in Tasmania.
About Curing Homesickness
Curing Homesickness is a national campaign that brings children’s hospital foundations and paediatric services from across Australia together to raise awareness and funds. Money raised through national partnerships go towards helping kids in hospital get back home sooner by investing in vital funding needs such as research, the latest equipment and the amazing health professionals who deliver care for children. Find more information on
Curing Homesickness
here (www.curinghomesickness.org).
