Turn Your Holiday Purchase into A Cup of Kindness" on December 9th 2004 - www.illyusa.com Donates 5% of Online Sales to Share Our Strength & Save the Childrens Ethiopian School

Shop online for the coffee lover on your gift list on December 9, 2004 and give two gifts in one. Log onto www.illyusa.com and 5% of any purchase you make will go to the illy Community School in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Illys A Cup of Kindness" campaign will donate 5% of all online sales to Share Our Strength and Save the Children for the ongoing support and operating expenses of the school, which provides much needed basic education, addresses medical needs and acts a community center for the people of Moyale Woreda, a drought-stricken community in the Somali region of Ethiopia.

(PRWEB) December 6, 2004 -- Any and all of the items on www.illyusa.com are eligible for this program-whether you choose a FrancisFrancis! espresso machine in a myriad of colors, signed, limited edition illy cup collections from artists like Jeff Koons or Rufus Willis or a case of the worlds finest coffee, illy. Your holiday purchase will put a smile on faces halfway around the world.

In 2005 more than 12 million people in Ethiopia will depend on food aid in a country of 70 million. Coffee is Ethiopias hard currency crop and plummeting coffee prices coupled with a debilitating drought have put millions at risk. Even before the current crisis, illy recognized that to ensure a consistent supply of top quality beans, they needed to work directly with farmers to improve their skills and reward quality by paying a premium price. Ethiopia produces some of the worlds best coffee and yet is suffering from severe deprivation," explains Andrea Illy, CEO of illycaffè S.p.A. in Trieste, Italy. Education is essential to building a better life. Unfortunately, many farmers lack the knowledge and equipment to process the coffee properly to ensure a high quality product and a commensurate price."

To help improve the current situation in Ethiopia, illy caffè joined forces with Share Our Strength and Save the Children by providing funding to build the illy Community School in Ethiopia where almost 90 students are currently enrolled. Illy has been a national sponsor of Share our Strength for 4 years and part of each years funding is earmarked to help the disadvantaged in coffee growing countries. Six years ago the government of Ethiopia and the Ministry of Education were not ready to support community school programs until they saw what an impact our pilot program had," explains Dennis Walto, of Save the Children. Today they are as excited about community school programs as we are. The illy Community School is providing a great service to the community of Moyale Woreda."

In addition to illys 5% donation from all online sales on December 9, 2004, illy caffè will also partner with seven New York City cafes and one restaurant on the A Cup of Kindness" program to benefit Ethiopian children. On December 9, 2004 enjoy an illy espresso, cappuccino or any other coffee creation at any one of seven participating locations across New York City and $1.00 of every cup of coffee purchased at participating cafes will be donated to Share Our Strength and Save the Children to support the community school. Illy caffè will then match 100% of all dollars raised for A Cup of Kindness" at each location with 100% of the money raised going to Share Our Strength and Save the Children to improve and support the ongoing operating expenses of the school.

illy A Cup of Kindness" participants:

-Financier Patisserie - 62 Stone Street, New York City, NY - 212-233-1111

-Fresco by Scotto - 40 East 52nd Street, New York City, NY - 212-754-2700

-Leonidas-Manon Café - 3 Hanover Square, New York City, NY - 212-422-9600

-Manon Café - 74 Trinity Place, New York City, NY - 212-233-1111

-Manon Café - 120 Broadway, New York City, NY - 212-766-6100

-Monkey Royale - 175 Second Avenue, New York City, NY - 212-260-1620

-Chocolate Bar - 48 Eighth Avenue, New York City, NY - 212-366-1541

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