Hellers has just donates its 2 millionth sausage for school sausage sizzles.
It’s a Kiwi as heading to the hardware store on a Saturday –the sight and smell of the sausages-sizzle fundraiser outside chain stores, supermarkets, in malls and at sports grounds.
Sausage sizzles typically involves the cheapest kind of multi-meat, pre-cooked sausage. They remain a popular form of fundraising for schools, sports teams and community groups.
Hellers’ Sausages for Schools programme started by Hellers a decade ago and this week the company donated its two-millionth fundraiser sausage. The 6-digit sausage was sold at Pukekohe Intermediate on Wednesday 28th September, where the community was fundraising for heating and tables for their breakfast club’s outside dining area.
Chief sausage sizzler Leigh Hart was in attendance to mark the occasion. “What would a good old fashioned school fundraiser be without the sausage sizzle? It was awesome to sizzle up a storm at Pukekohe Intermediate and congratulate the lucky punter who got to eat that momentous two-millionth sausage!,” said Leigh.
Pukekohe Intermediate Principal Rebekah Pearson said she’d hoped for a big turnout on the day and was pleasantly surprised. “We’re delighted and grateful to Hellers for providing such a fantastic service to the country’s schools by supporting their fundraising activities. Schools rely on fundraisers to pay for all kinds of extras that would otherwise not get done, so it’s great to see Hellers’ community spirit in action, and the kids loved meeting Leigh”, she said.
Hellers started Sausages for Schools to help schools fundraise back in 2012 and has helped to raise $4 million for schools throughout Aotearoa. Primary and Intermediate schools can apply to Hellers outlining their particular funding need. This could be anything from new equipment for camps, uniforms or rebuilding and upgrading environments. If Hellers can meet their needs they will supply sausages for the school’s sausage sizzle free of charge, which the schools can then sell for $2 each.
Over 300 school fundraisers are supported every year by Hellers, or 30 schools a month. Over the last decade that works out to over 3,000 fundraisers. “Two million sausages is the equivalent of about 220 kilometres if they were lined up end to end. That’s like 2,200 rugby fields, over two Cook Straits or the distance from Auckland to Rotorua!,” added Leigh.
The programme took a long break during the Covid lockdowns and restrictions, and is now ramping up again for the summer season. Hellers chief executive Christine Cash said it was wonderful to get the programme going again after such a long break.
Is there a vege sizzle option?
Vegetarian and gluten-free sausage sizzles are few and far between, so a while back plant food innovators Bean Supreme launched a vegetarian fundraising sausage box initiative to make it as easy as possible for schools, community groups and charities to cook up some delicious vegetarian sausages at their fundraising events.
Groups can apply online for sausages at a discounted rate to help raise money for important causes. Once you have submitted the application, you will be contacted by Bean Supreme’s orders team to arrange payment.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
