This Wednesday, Jan. 26, Cheese Boutique will be raising funds for the mental health program at St. Joesph's Hospital, by holding their fourth annual Mental Health Awareness Day.
Through this, they'll be donating 100 per cent of sales from both Cheese Boutique and CB Bottega in store and online. All the money goes towards Cheese Boutique's Mental Health Promise Fund––established to assist in caring for their local communities, which has been part of the hospital for years, contributing towards their health centre.
From being born at St. Joesph's Hospital, to sitting on the board of directors there decades later, Cheese Boutique's maître fromager Afrim Pristine notably grew up in the West end of the city and the Pristine family, alongside the Cheese Boutique community as a whole, has long worked towards doing what they can in support of mental health initiatives, raising awareness and funds for a cause very dear to them.
"There's four boys in my family. My youngest brother passed away, this June will be two years ago. He was suffering for years," says Pristine. "It shattered my family and was very tragic. I saw this first hand, how much someone can suffer."
The idea to pursue this initiative was actually conceived by his brother four years ago, raising over $20,000 for mental health programs in its first year in action. Last year, the shop raised over $50,000.
"If that money can help someone not endure what my family has gone through and what many other Torontonian families have gone through, that's why we're doing it," says Pristine. "I don't do it for media or press, I don't. I do it because I want to and I do it because I care and I do it because I think it's really important for all of us and I think it's something that affects all of us, whether you realize it or don't."
"It's not about me, it's about Cheese Boutique doing it. It's not really Afrim Pristine, but it's all of us," he says. "We've had staff saying we don't want you to pay us today, we're happy to be a part of this. We've had suppliers donate product. You know, it's when everyone else comes on board is when you really see the impact and you really see how it affects so many people."
Emphasizing that they're not donating 100 per cent of proceeds, but rather 100 percent of total sales from the day, Pristine notes that in-store sales, concierge call-in, curb-side and delivery are being donated, so you don't only have to shop in person to support. If you'd liked to contribute to the cause, but are unable to shop that day, the fund is always open for donations on St. Joesph's Heath Centre Foundation's website.
Continuously working to establish opportunities to contribute to Cheese Boutique's Mental Health Promise Fund, their support doesn't stop at one day a year. While this shop for mental health day is one of their biggest initiatives, Cheese Boutique holds many fundraising events. This includes a food truck takeover this past summer raising $10,000 for St. Joesph's Hospital and multiple virtual classes, replacing in-person events that would have otherwise been held pre-Covid. In fact, all proceeds from purchases of Cheese Boutique's branded reusable bags even go towards their promise fund––year-round.
"I think at the end of the day it's just community getting together and doing something for others and doing something to end a stigma, to raise awareness for mental health. That's why we really did it," says Pristine. "I've done a lot in my career, those days are some of the proudest days of my career and I can say that confidently."
According to their website, St. Joesph's Hospital's emergency department receives the highest volume of patients struggling with mental health or addiction in central Toronto. That being said, in this past year, they received 64,000 visits from those in need of support. Their health centre has some of the highest numbers of programs for mental health, treating everyone from children to seniors and you can learn more about their programs on their website.
"[St. Joesph's Hospital is] amazing and they're an important part of the whole West end community, if not all of Toronto," says Pristine. "It's one of the biggest mental health programs in the province and you know, if we can just be a tiny part of it, if we can help a fraction of people who suffer with this, then I'm happy. And, if we can grow that, then I'm extremely happy."
Shop with Cheese Boutique anytime this Wednesday, Jan. 26 to support their Mental Health Promise Fund with St. Joesph's Hospital. Stay tuned to their Instagram for any updates and for other opportunities to join them in raising funds and awareness for mental health.
