Students find creative way to fundraise for victims of Hurricane Matthew

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A group of Conant students has been selling flavored coffee and hot chocolate to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Matthew and are considering additional sales opportunities in the future.

Sophomores Archisha Ghosh, Rithi Bramanathan, Aparna Ayyah, and Nikita Basu began their sales in late December with the intent of helping to fund repairs in the affected areas. “The living situation there isn’t great. The hurricane destroyed their homes, their schools, everything,” Ayyah stated.

The group learned about Hurricane Matthew through a news report and researched it extensively. They went through multiple fund raising ideas such as donating clothing and selling donuts and candy before school before coming up with the idea of coffee.

Ghosh explained, “We talked to Dr. Small and he said that donuts and candy were out because of their high sugar levels.”

The girls had to do everything for themselves, such as advertising by making posters and selling the coffee with the help of some of their friends.

The group set their goal at $1,000. “We’re donating the money raised to CARE,” Ayyah said. “We have raised approximately $943, and we only have $57 left to go.”  CARE is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending poverty around the world.

All prices range between $2.00 and $2.50. The menu consists of normal or flavored coffee such as vanilla, hazelnut, and caramel. There is also the option to purchase hot chocolate with or without marshmallows.

“The best selling option varied with the temperature,” Ghosh said. “The hot chocolate was popular in the beginning when it was colder, but the coffee was the most popular when it was warmer.”

The girls ended this first round of sales on Tuesday, February 21. However, given the support they’ve received, they hope to have a sale around spring break and during the week of finals.

Ghosh said, “The Boosters helped us out a lot by allowing us to use the concession stand to sell our items.”

This was the first time the girls ran a fundraiser, but they hope to be involved in more fundraising activities in the future.

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