Maxol launches charity campaign as new research finds that people were kinder during pandemic
Most people in Ireland (89%) agree we need to be kinder to one another and two in every five (41%) say that people were kinder during the pandemic, according to new research commissioned by Maxol.
The research findings were released to coincide with the launch of the 12 Days of Kindness, which is part of Maxol’s annual Christmas campaign to raise much needed funds for mental health charity Aware.
During November and December, 10c from every cup of ROSA Coffee and hot beverage purchased in a Maxol service station is donated to Aware by Maxol. And, in a bid to blast this year’s €70,000 fundraising target and help spread some extra kindness, Maxol is inviting customers to buy a ROSA Coffee for a stranger in the 12 Days of Kindness.
How it works
From 1st to 12th December, customers simply buy two coffees at participating Maxol service stations, one for themselves and one for a stranger. The customer can also write a message of kindness on a little card to let another person know that there’s a free coffee waiting for them. All cards will be hung from the service station’s Kindness Christmas Tree.
The card can be used by another customer to pay for their hot drink and brighten up their day or it might inspire them to pay it forward and buy a coffee for someone else. Any cards of kindness not redeemed will be donated to local charities.
Most people (87%) feel good when they perform an act of kindness and there is widespread agreement (89%) that we need to be kinder to one another, according to the Maxol research.
Contagious kindness
Three quarters (75%) of people say that kindness is contagious and that’s the essence of Maxol’s 12 Days of Kindness initiative according to CEO, Brian Donaldson.
“This is our fifth year to support the work of Aware with our Christmas Coffee Cup campaign and with the help of our customers, we are hopeful that this will be our biggest fundraising year ever,” he said.
“If there is one positive to be taken from the past 20 months it’s the many acts of kindness, big and small, that we have witnessed or experienced during the pandemic. Aware is a vital charity that needs support, particularly as a result of the pandemic so it can continue to provide support, education and information services to those impacted by anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and related mood conditions.”
Gift of kindness
Leading clinical psychologist Dr Eddie Murphy believes that the best gift we can give this Christmas is the gift of kindness.
““There are so many things out of our control right now but being kind is the one thing in our lives that’s within our control. There are many benefits to being; 85% of people feel that we need to be kinder to ourselves and I echo that sentiment,” said Dr Murphy.
“Kindness doesn’t have to involve grand gestures. By being inclusive, generous of spirit or perhaps by buying a stranger a cup of ROSA Coffee, which in turn will benefit Aware, we can all cultivate and encourage kindness.”
Aware provides free support, education and information services to people impacted by depression, bipolar disorder, and other mood-related disorders. The charity has reported consistently high levels of demand for its services since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Maxol has raised almost €600,000 for Aware since partnering with the charity in 2016.
The Nationwide Study was conducted as part of the iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus Survey among 1,000 adults from 18 – 21 November 2021.
Caption: Stephen McBride (Aware), Dr Eddie Murphy, Brian Donaldson, Susannah Jackson (Aware) and Leah & Aoife McArdle
