Anna’s Amazing Waffle Fundraiser

Fun fact about fundraising: Fundraising is super important for HOOP! Of the many ways to raise funds, selling food has to be one of our favourites. So we were excited to hear that Anna Potemans, who volunteered from April to May this year, wanted to keep supporting the kids and families of Flora Tristán after she left. How? With waffles! With a secret family recipe and lots of hungry Belgians, Anna sold an incredible 2,500 waffles, raising more than 1,400 Euros for HOOP! To find out how Anna turned waffles into gold, we asked her some questions about her fundraising alchemy and her time at HOOP…

What was your favourite thing about volunteering with HOOP?

Smiling faces: getting the feeling that although you are a kind of stranger, you can still mean something.

What did you enjoy most about Peru?

The magnificent nature: a place to become quiet and amazed.

What inspired you to do this fundraiser?

Saying goodbye to such a beautiful project was quite hard, i did’t want to cut the strings so quickly. Through my fundraising i was still a little bit involved.

How many waffles did you sell?

We raised about 1,445 euros, so i guess between 2,000 and 2,500 waffles

How did you manage to sell so many?!

Well, I had help from my family! My parents paid for the ingredients we needed, my grandfather tasted the dough (he really liked his job) and my grandmother helped me baking. We sold the waffles to friends and family, and people from scouting. And my dad took them to his work clients.

What made this fundraiser such a success?

The fact that I personally had volunteered in the project and of course because Belgian people like to eat!

What is the secret to your waffle recipe?

A good family recipe and lots and lots of love.

Do you have any good advice for others who also want to fundraise for HOOP?

It doesn’t matter how much money you raise: a lot of small stones can make a beautiful building!

A big thanks to Anna from HOOP and all the families of Flora Tristán! If you’re feeling inspired by Anna’s waffle-selling skills, let us know if you’d like to do your own fundraiser. We’d love to hear your ideas – just email volunteer@hoopperu.org.