A lot of people reach for a cup of coffee to help get them through any given morning, and the more people that order one from McDonald's, the closer the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation gets to raising money for its capital wishlist. 

The hospital foundation announced its second month partnered with McDonald's had officially wrapped up. Through that partnership, part of the money from every coffee sold goes to the SJHF, with the eventual goal of raising $20,000.

"It's been absolutely amazing to work with the people at McDonald's," said SJHF Executive Director Breanne Van De Woestyne. "They've always been huge supporters of our hospital, and having this coffee campaign is just another thing to add to that list."

Through the first two months, the partnership has yielded just over $2800 of the $20,000 goal. As the weather turns colder heading into fall and winter, the hope is that colder weather might inspire people to buy more hot drinks. 

"I'm really excited to see how it goes this fall and this winter," Van De Woestyne said. "It's definitely going to rise and just seeing that total rise each and every month is really exciting for all of us."

According to Van De Woestyne, the hospital has about a $400,000 capital wishlist of new equipment the SJHF can help pay for. A lot of the new desired equipment comes with the addition of an addictions treatment centre with a focus on methamphetamine.

While the province is shouldering some of that cost, the need for the SJHF to help with the rest, along with their usual annual projects is great. And in a year where the usual fundraisers have all been pushed back or cancelled, the partnership with McDonald's has been a boon.

"It's huge for us," said Van De Woestyne. "It's a great partnership. We've always worked with them, and this is just a bigger partnership that will really go a long way in helping us purchase more equipment for our hospital."

All money raised goes directly to the wishlist and the purchasing of new equipment, and Van De Woestyne added that the new addiction treatment centre was a major priority for them for this year especially.