Coles has reached a new fundraising milestone for FightMND. The retailer has raised more than $20 million in five years to help fund research to find a cure and effective treatments for motor neurone disease (MND).
The milestone comes amid another fundraising record set by Coles, with more than $8.6 million raised at Coles supermarkets and Coles Express for Big Freeze 8 over the past seven weeks.
All funds raised at Coles will be directed to FightMND and invested in “cutting-edge” research projects focused on “fast-tracking” new MND treatments and driving discoveries towards a cure.
Shoppers in Ballarat, Victoria led the charge with $175,000 raised by the three Coles supermarkets in town. Coles Ballarat Peel St ($77,000) and Wendouree ($69,000) ranked first and third respectively as the most generous supporters of the cause, with Sunbury ($76,000) rounding out the top three fundraisers.
Coles Express Executive General Manager Michael Courtney says Coles is delighted to have raised more than $8.6 million for FightMND.
“Our team members, customers and Aussie pork farmers are incredibly passionate about raising funds to help find a cure and better treatments for MND and it’s now our single biggest fundraising campaign at Coles,” he says.
“Through the sale of beanies and Coles’ pork, we’ve raised more funds than ever before and from inner city Melbourne to Albany in rural Western Australia, our team members have been pulling off their own ice bucket challenges in stores, car parks and support centres.”
FightMND Campaign Director Bec Daniher thanks Coles, its customers and Australian pork farmers for their support.
“We are so grateful to every single Coles team member and customer who joined us in the fight against the beast this year and helped raise vital funds for MND research,” she says.
“From selling and purchasing Big Freeze beanies and Coles Aussie Pork products, to hosting their own DIY Big Freeze events, the impact of Coles and their customers has been tremendous, and we can’t thank them enough.”
