When the Otago Farmers Market is operating at the Dunedin Railway Station, a collection of Cadbury’s former employees can be found standing in their former employer’s carpark, every week, rain or shine, raising money for mental health.
Next month marks four years since they began their fundraising efforts.
Former Cadbury employee and mental health advocate Megan Fairley said Saturday was the day they managed to officially crack more than $82,000 raised.
To celebrate, they handed out the TR & Mack Colouring Book to children at the carpark heading to the markets with parents and friends.
The upcoming four-year anniversary was also an important date for Ms Fairley.
"It’s pretty phenomenal. How many people would stand in a carpark year round for four years? Not too many I believe."
The years in the carpark meant they had to watch as the Cadbury factory was dismantled, which was hard for many of them, Ms Fairley said.
As of Saturday, the group had raised $44,044 for I Am Hope, $30,510 for Life Matters, $2482 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, $4218 for the Red Cross and $918 for Movember.
The former employees from Cadbury began their fundraising crusade after many of them experienced mental illness after their redundancy.
"We’ve lost former co-workers to suicide, some of us faced bullying, using and abusing at new jobs and businesses.
"Many people see our sign here and say ‘oh, we don’t eat Cadbury’s any more’, but we’ve let that go and now what we want to do, and for everybody to start doing, is to support people struggling."
How much time they had left in the carpark was unknown to Ms Fairley, but they did not expect to be there another four years.
"They will eventually need this area for the hospital build, but we will just keep going until they say we need to leave."
