About 30 local restaurants have decided on the same business menu — helping two Girls Preparatory School students in their efforts to raise funds for the Unicef Tap Project.
GPS sophomores Kaycee Ensign and Annie Paden started the project in Chattanooga in 2008 after reading a statistic online about how many children drink unsanitary water.
“We don’t realize that 900 million people don’t have access to clean water. … You don’t think about it because you have access to it,” Ms. Ensign said.
The United Nations agency’s tap project helps to bring clean water to children around the world and began in New York in 2007.
Restaurants will ask patrons to donate $1 during World Water Week, which begins March 21. All proceeds go to the tap project.
“We thought it was a worthwhile initiative to be involved in and we believe that doing things like that are the right way to operate,” said Chris Balthrop, assistant manager at Lupi’s Pizza Pies downtown. Involved since it began, the pizzeria raised $500 in 2009.
“We haven’t seen much of a downturn in business with the economy and we’d like to think helping the community has something to do with it,” she said.
Raising $5,000 last year, the two students said they hope to have 30-35 restaurants participating this year. That will be down slightly from the more than 40 last year.
“A lot of the restaurants that we did contact last year and participated last year have gone out of business because of the hard times,” Miss Paden said, adding that she is hopeful to add more restaurants by Sunday.
In an effort to increase donations, they are seeking sponsorships and having a Walk for Water on March 20 at the GPS lower fields.
“It’s important that we help out and it’s great that these restaurants are willing to help out to make sure everyone has access to clean water and that no one has to die from causes that are preventable,” Miss Ensign said.