After its first month, the Daruj kelímek (Donate the Cup) charity collection has reached a significant milestone by exceeding the CZK 3 million mark. It currently stands at just under CZK 3.5 million — almost CZK 400,000 more than at the same time last year.
Eighteen charities are involved in the collection, which began on 14 November, the opening day of the Christmas markets in Brno. Visitors to the markets can support the charities by returning their hot drink cups. Donors can choose which project they want to support.
“We see the amount raised during the first month as a huge sign of trust and support from the public. It clearly shows that even small amounts can make a big difference. We see that people often don’t want to choose just one organisation; they want to support them all equally. That’s why we’ve included the option to support everyone again this year. At the same time, however, we also want to maintain the option of targeted support for specific projects. We believe that both approaches are valid,” said Natálie Miklánková, coordinator of the Daruj kelímek (Donate the Cup) collection.
So far, visitors have donated the most money to help animals, particularly guide dogs, abandoned cats and children with cancer. The strongest day of this year’s campaign was 6 December. With the Christmas holidays approaching, it is natural that people are helping more. Everything indicates that the final amount will exceed last year’s record total of CZK 4.5 million.
“You can donate a cup, which has a refundable deposit of CZK 50 , at one of five stands. These stands are located on the Freedom Square (náměstí Svobody), at the Vegetable Market (Zelný trh) and at the Moravian Square (Moravské náměstí), near the Jošt Statue. The stands are operated at the expense of the Brno-střed district, which also runs the entire deposit system. Thanks to this, the full amount collected goes to the accounts of charitable organisations,” said Michal Šťastný, spokesman for the Brno-střed district.
The Daruj kelímek (Donate the Cup) project runs until 23 December, when the final total will be announced at 6 p.m. at the Vegetable Market (Zelný trh). This will be accompanied by a concert of the band O5 a Radeček.
