A community high tea fundraiser in Paeroa on May 2 has raised $3002 for the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
The Pink Ribbon FIKA High Tea Luncheon event at the Ohinemuri Club hosted 122 patrons, some of which were dressed from head to toe in pink wigs, accessories and attire to show their support for the cause.
Organiser Mel Huang, who runs Mel’s Catering alongside husband Edilson Ponce, said it was a “huge effort” and he was really happy to hit the $3000 target.
“Everything went smoothly because everybody just chipped in to help make it successful.”
Mel said he shared his “sincerest appreciation” to all who supported the event such as the Ohinemuri Club and all the sponsors who donated their time, skills, prizes and auction items.
Nurse practitioner Emma Hedgecock was also there to share a presentation about the importance of self-checking, what to look for, and how important it was to screen for early detection.
The high tea itself consisted of each guest being served 14 pieces of food, Mel said.
“Of course doing high tea on the high tea trays is really no joke, because it’s the first time I’m doing that with that many people involved. So you can imagine how much plating we had to do.
“People do not realise that there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. It may be stressful, but it is a very good stress, and especially knowing that at the end of the day the people benefiting [from] it are the people diagnosed with breast cancer and with their research and everything,” he said.
“So we’ve done our part to make more things happen for them.”
One of the main things that stood out to Mel was the strong feeling of “community spirit”.
“I think everybody just plays a part in it and that makes it so exciting. You can feel the community spirit where everybody just wants to help to raise the funds,” he said.
“That’s actually very important for any fundraiser, you want to fundraise because you want to do it, not because you have to be there.”
But the cause was important to Mel on a personal level.
“I just want to do it because this is a really, really good cause. I have had many nice customers throughout the years who actually died of breast cancer, so I can actually feel that it’s a thing that if we need to do something to help with the research, we just try our best to give it all to the foundation,” he said.
He said usually every month he hosted a high tea event for the seniors of Paeroa at a reasonable cost, which included live music, a quiz and spot prizes.
The purpose of each high tea was to raise funds for charity, he said, which included past fundraisers for charities such as Kids Can, Canteen and Starship.
The first fundraiser he hosted was in March 2023, and since then they had raised almost $30,000 for different charities, he said.
“We are really, really happy with what we’ve been able to do.” The next high tea fundraiser was set for June 6 and would raise funds for Paeroa Blue Light.
“It’s all worth it, that’s the main thing, because when you’re doing it for a worthy cause, everything just makes it worthwhile,” he said.
DETAILS: To keep up with future high tea fundraisers, follow Mels Catering Paeroa on Facebook.
By DAVIDDA HIKATANGATA
