Students at Hervey Bay Special School will stay cool while honing their hospitality skills, after being awarded a $3,470 Grassroots Community Grant from Hand Heart Pocket the Charity of Freemasons Queensland.
The school’s training coffee shop which is open to the public every Friday has had cafe blinds installed to keep both students and their customers protected from the sun.
Hervey Bay Special School Principal Reno Tieppo said they were grateful to the local Freemasons for nominating them for the grant.
“The extra shade will make our coffee shop even more inviting and comfortable for everyone,” Mr Tieppo said.
“We’ve recently reopened the shop after COVID-19 restrictions were eased.”
Hervey Bay Daylight Freemasons Lodge Secretary David Hall said they love the concept of the shop which is why they’ve given it their support over the past few years.
“We absolutely love going to the school and seeing the children learn new skills that will help them later in life,” Mr Hall said.
“The students will be protected from the harsh morning sun while serving the customers in the outside area and everyone else who goes to the Coffee Shop to support the school will be able to enjoy their coffee in the shade, so it is a win-win situation for all.”
Hand Heart Pocket Chief Executive Officer Gary Mark said the Freemason charity was pleased to provide this extra assistance.
“We are thankful to Hervey Bay Daylight Freemasons Lodge for identifying this need in their community,” Gary said.
“This year we received a greater number of applications with a large geographical spread, particularly in regional Queensland. Fifteen charities shared in almost $120,000 as part this year’s Community Grants round.
“Although the grant round was oversubscribed, we wanted to make sure we maximised our support at a time the community needed it the most. Among the causes we’ve been able to support are youth at risk, our ageing population, men’s mental and physical health, and women’s financial and physical security.”
The grant was announced amid the Freemason charity providing over to $750,000 in emergency support and Grassroots Community Grants in the wake of COVID-19.
