Support for Ballarat Health Services is continuing to roll in from all angles as Friday's 'Thank You Day' public holiday approaches.
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Businesses and organisations from around Ballarat have gone out of their way during the pandemic to donate to BHS, whether it be through fundraising or physical donations.
Now, a new business opening its doors for the first time next week has already committed to making a sizable donation towards BHS.
Start Cafe Bakery Hill owner Raj Singh has committed to donating all money raised from the cafe's first two days of coffee sales towards BHS.
Mr Singh, who has been no stranger to charitable donations during the pandemic, said he wanted to help give back to the staff at BHS after seeing exactly how hard they were working while being treated there.
"We felt it was the right thing to do," he said.
"I have personally been to the hospital during this pandemic to have my hand looked at and to see how hard everyone there was working was amazing.
"They are doing everything they can to help out the community and keep people safe and healthy."
After watching BHS staff at work first-hand, Mr Singh made the decision to use his grand opening to raise funds.
"We wanted to do something to give back to them, because this period has been crazy for a lot of medical workers," he continued.
"They have been working non-stop, so anything we can do with the community to help raise money is very important."
Ahead of 'Thank You Day', it's important to look back on other businesses which have gone out of their way to assist hospital workers during the pandemic.
Other cafes around the region have run similar fundraising efforts, like new business The Food Literature Cafe, which only opened its doors on August 3.
For a period after opening, owner Peter Carr made the decision to start offering free coffee to his customers in exchange for a gold coin donation.
The money raised from the donations went towards BHS and the BRICC Wellness Centre.
Mr Carr said it was simply something he believed could help make a difference within the community.
"We just thought we wanted to start off with some sort of charitable initiative; that's just the sort of cafe we want to be - a real community-minded cafe," he said.
Similarly, many other cafes, such as Turret Cafe on Sturt Street, implemented a pay-it-forward initiative where members of the community could purchase coffees to be sent to staff at BHS.
Cafe manager Carmel West said she was moved emotionally to see the generosity within the community once they launched the program.
"It's been incredible... people have been so generous," she said.
"The healthcare workers and ambulance drivers have been so appreciative. Any help they can get means so much at the moment."
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