COFFEE ROASTERS GIVE CHARITY VOLUNTEERS A LIFT

Local Cairns coffee roasting business, Industry One Coffee, has given North Queensland based charity, YWAM Medical Ships – Australia (YWAM MSA), a boost by donating 40 kilograms of coffee beans for their medical, marine and general volunteers as part of their commitment to be YWAM MSA’s coffee donor.
YWAM MSA delivers health care and training in remote areas of Papua New Guinea (PNG), including immunisations, maternal health services, dentistry procedures, optical services, and collegial support for rural health workers with their Training and Medical Ship, the MV YWAM PNG.
 All of YWAM MSA’s staff, including the Managing Director, are full time volunteers who raise funds outside of the organisation to support their work.
Industry One Coffee owner, Ms Ali Slotemaker, said she met the YWAM MSA team in August last year during the MV YWAM PNG’s visit to Cairns as part of the vessel’s public awareness tour along the east coast.
“I was really amazed when I found out that everyone in YWAM are volunteers.”
“Providing coffee to YWAM MSA is a great opportunity for us to give something personally to the volunteers while strengthening our link with PNG; they are great coffee producers and we’d like to expand our trading opportunities with them, ” said Ms Slotemaker.
YWAM MSA’s Cairns Community Ambassador, Ms Yolonde Entsch, will be joining the MV YWAM PNG on Sunday for its medical outreach to coastal villages in Central and Milne Bay Provinces.
“I’m really looking forward to joining the outreach – and what a bonus to bring coffee beans with me to treat everyone onboard – everyone is really grateful!”
“Our goal is to help strengthen the link between Cairns and PNG; this is a great example of that in action,” said Ms Entsch.
The MV YWAM PNG has just returned to Port Moresby after its outreach in the Gulf and Western Provinces where the team of 87 volunteers delivered health care and training to thousands of patients in rural and remote areas.
The MV YWAM PNG will visit Cairns on July 8^th on its way back from PNG for a fundraiser onboard the vessel before returning to its home-port, Townsville, for further renovations which will include the construction of an operating theatre, laboratory and outpatient facility.