Big-hearted businesses rally behind community
For many businesses in Christchurch, trading as normal this weekend was not an option.
Following Friday’s heinous terrorist attack on Al Noor and Linwood mosques which killed 50 people, Grizzly Baked Goods, along with a number of other local businesses, have put profit to the side.
On Saturday, Grizzly Bakery donated 100 loaves of bread and 300 pastries — the entirety of its production which would usually be sold at the local farmer’s market — to Christchurch Hospital for the emergency service workers.
The business will also donate about $1600 it made at its Buchan St store to an undecided organisation supporting victims of the attack.
“I did not feel like opening up the shop and sort of pretending or trying to be normal,” Grizzly owner and founder Sam Ellis told the Herald. “Personally, I didn’t feel like that but the way our production works is we were well under way with everything we were making early on Friday morning and it just made sense for us to keep going, finish it all off and then make sure it got into the hands of the people who needed it.”
Ellis said the store was kept open, raising money for those affected.
“Our customers who came to the window were very generous, some of them just handing over cash for us to forward on. We’ve seen a lot of community spirit.”
Other businesses which Grizzly supplies baked goods and pastries to also showed generosity, Ellis said, some by closing their shops and instead donating their orders.
Donated food included bread, croissants, doughnuts and pastries.
“We’re very sickened by what happened. My personal experience of when the earthquake in 2011 happened, there’s often a feeling of helplessness when [tragedy] happens,” Ellis said. “We make food and there’s obviously people that were going to need it so it was very easy for us to think of a way to help out.”
Grizzly Baked Goods posted a statement on social media, saying it had decided to finish its production run with the intention to donate to hospital staff.
A number of people took to the post to applaud its generosity, including a nurse who was working on the front line at the hospital, who said it made a difference.
“Thank you so much for your thoughtful bag of goodies,” Kat Heath said in a comment on Facebook. “The Radiology Team were incredibly grateful for your kind generosity. As a nurse who worked on the front line, it makes a difference feeling supported.”
On Saturday, cafe Allpress in Sydenham refused to take money from anyone for coffee.
Restaurant and bar Twenty Seven Steps on New Regent St is donating its profits this weekend to those affected by the terrorist attack.
The restaurant made the announcement on a chalk board outside its restaurant. The board read: “Kia Kaha Christchurch. All profits this weekend are going to the victims of this senseless tragedy.”
Twenty Seven Steps co-owner Emma Mettrick said donating profits to the victims was “the least” she could do.
“It’s a shocking thing that has happened and I can’t believe something like that has happened in our community — it’s a very little thing I can do,” Mettrick said.
She said customers seemed to appreciate the gesture. “It’s an honour to be able to have a business in the city and I’m really hopeful that we’ll be able to move forward form this in a really positive, loving way.
“This year the city has got the same energy that there was pre-quakes so I just hope this doesn’t put people off.”
Other restaurants in the city centre such as Bicycle Thief and Pomeroy’s Bar and Restaurant are also donating profits to victims of the attack.