Help Me Protect Her Dream - Mini Misfits Cafe

I’m Fighting to Keep the Café My Partner Built Alive 💛

My name is Damion.

Over the last year, my heart condition has rapidly declined. It’s been frightening and life-altering. At the end of 2025, after long delays in the public system, we had no choice but to enter the private medical system. In just three months, unexpected health costs drained all the capital we had worked so hard to build.

Jess has spent almost half her life serving coffee to the Waitoki community. Mini Misfits Café isn’t just a business — it’s where people feel seen, heard, and cared for. Even while my health worsened, she kept showing up with warmth and strength.

We had finally started turning a profit and were staying afloat at a time when many small businesses were failing. Things finally felt stable.

Now we’re operating under an abatement notice and must complete the resource consent process properly. We are committed to doing this right — but the costs for planning, reports, and council fees total around $20,000, and we no longer have a financial buffer.

We have hundreds of locals supporting us and asking us to stay.

If you can help, even a small amount makes a difference. If you can’t donate, sharing means everything.

This café exists because people care — and we’re hoping that care can carry us through one more hard chapter.

With love and gratitude,

Damion

Mini Misfits Café ☕💛