Could you go without your daily flat white, if it meant helping someone struggling with mental illness?
That's exactly what Three's TV personalities Jono and Ben are asking you to do.
They're teaming up with long-standing suicide helpline Lifeline Aotearoa, encouraging New Zealanders to help others by donating the cost of a cup of coffee to the organisation, which is receiving an increasing amount of calls annually.
Lifeline received more than 120,000 calls last a year, including more than 1800 calls from people at high risk of committing suicide, a spokesperson said.
Seven out of 10 of those calls are from distressed people aged between 21 and 59 years old.
Television and radio presenter Jono Pryor recently lost a close friend, speaking about it in a heart-breaking display of emotion on live TV in March.
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"Having personally experienced the death of one of my best mates was a shock. It hit me hard. I had no idea that he was in need and was thinking about taking his own," Pryor says.
"Together we can help prevent suicide if we can normalise asking for help. Asking for help doesn't make you look weak, it takes courage and that's something to be proud of. No one will think less of you for asking for help."
Glenda Schnell, executive director of Lifeline Aotearoa, says that TV shows such as 13 Reasons Why are bringing the conversation home.
"[With that], we are encouraging New Zealanders to continue talking about and raising awareness of how we can help prevent suicide and provide mental health support," she said.
"Each call to Lifeline Aotearoa costs the organisation approximately $22 and with more than 10,000 calls a month, we need support from New Zealand to keep operating and providing a service that hundreds of Kiwis rely on daily."
Kiwis can pledge their support by donating the cost of a coffee to Lifeline Aotearoa by visiting noonethinkslessofyou.co.nz.
If you need help dealing with depression or a difficult time in your life, call Lifeline Aotearoa on 0800 543 354 or the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO). Both are available 24/7.
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