October 17, 2005

by Larry Pena

Coffee is the hot topic of Project Mocha, the new campaign by La Sierra University’s Spiritual Life department to collect money for the victims of the recent slough of worldwide natural disasters.

“We’re so sick of watching the suffering and just sitting back and thinking, ‘Oh my, that’s terrible,’” says senior business major Kelly Straine, director of La Sierra University Worship.

Project Mocha got its start last school year when a guest speaker at University Worship made a point that the three to four dollars many people spend on coffee every day could be put to better use.  With that in mind, the Spiritual Life department is now asking La Sierra University students to forego the occasional dose of caffeine in order to provide disaster victims with food, shelter, clean water, and other vital supplies.

The project, announced at University Worship October 11, is aiming to raise $5000 dollars this quarter via a donation jar in the Spiritual Life office and several special collections at various worships and assemblies.  Straine is optimistic about reaching the goal; the first collection alone, taken in coffee cups passed at University Worship, raised over $2000 in a matter of minutes.

All the funds raised by Project Mocha are being donated to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), the official humanitarian organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.  ADRA is currently operating in the disaster areas of Pakistan, Central America, and the American Gulf region, as well as many other affected and underdeveloped regions around the world.

“We’re not asking that people give up coffee every day,” says Straine.  “All we want is for people to be willing to sacrifice a little to help others.”

For more information on Project Mocha, contact the Spiritual Life office at (951) 785-2090.