Feeling good and not just with chocolate

Feeling good about ourselves—that’s the aim, right? Not so for everyone though. Some kids today are finding life a bit tough so that their mental health is not what it should be. They don’t always know how to voice the way they feel or even understand it.

I AM HOPE was set up to offer mental health education to our young people (rangatahi), mainly in schools. Kids are taught that it’s OK to have negative feelings and doubts about themselves, but it’s also OK to talk about them. Life is full of ups and downs, but it’s how we cope with them that’s important. I AM HOPE believe in investing in our youth, hoping to offer them a better future.

Also wanting to help meet needs in the community is Solomons Gold, an artisan chocolate-making company in Mount Maunganui that paid-it-forward a $100 voucher for their chocolate products to I AM HOPE to be distributed to the kids, workers and anyone else associated with spreading the message about kids’ mental health.

Solomons Gold offer an array of chocolates, from dark to vegan, and baking products as well. You can buy their products online or from a variety of outlets in New Zealand and also further afield. Their products are certified organic, too, so you can feel good about eating such good chocolate! The company got their name from the “gold” (chocolate) that comes from the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

If you order online, add $1 or $2 to your bill so that Solomons can keep adding to the pay-it-forwards.