Today I wanted to talk about an organisation I think is doing some amazing work – Street Smart Australia – and in particular their current fundraising campaign, Dine Smart. Since 2003, Street Smart has been working to raise funds for smaller, grassroots organisations who work to help the homeless. Most of these organisations deal with people in crisis situations, and they are often so stretched that they can’t properly fundraise for themselves or help raise awareness of the issue of homelessness, so Street Smart is there to help bridge that gap through the provision of grants and community awareness campaigns.
Despite being an overall very well-off country, each night over 100,000 Australians are homeless, with roughly 14,000 of these people having to resort to sleeping on our streets as the crisis accommodation cannot keep up with the demand. Almost half our homeless population are female, many are children and nearly half of the 100,000 people are under the age of 25. I find these really scary and saddening statistics, so it’s great to know there are some positive steps being taken at the grassroots level to try and help the people who need it most.
Since 2003 Street Smart has raised an amazing $2.46 million dollars, and 100% of donations go straight into grants to provide help where it is needed most. This money is predominantly raised through two main drives each year – Cafe Smart, which this year was held on June 7th, and Dine Smart, which is running from November 11 until December 31st.
Cafe Smart works by participating cafes donating $1 of every coffee sold, with patrons also able to donate by leaving change in boxes in each participating cafe as well. Dine Smart works in a similar way, with cafes and restaurants signing up to participate and then diners leaving a donation on their bill, with 100% of donations over $2 going straight to Street Smart. The great thing about this campaign is that it is super simple to get involved – if you’re planning a meal out between now and the end of the year simply make the choice to go to one of the participating restaurants and leave as much as you can as a donation at the end of the night – every little bit counts.
You can search for participating restaurants through the website, with more restaurants being added all the time. If your favourite restaurant isn’t listed maybe it’s worth mentioning it to them, you never know, it could be the catalyst they need to sign up and participate! Some of Australia’s leading restaurants are involved, including Longrain, Ezard, Cutler & Co and Union Dining, so you can have an amazing meal and then give something back at the end of the night – everyone wins!
I have happily partaken in Cafe Smart over the last few years (it’s not like I need an excuse to drink coffee!) and I’m currently making a shortlist of restaurants to visit during Dine Smart, and I’ll be sure to leave as generous a donation as I possibly can each time – it’s the least I can do to help those who really need it.
Have you heard of the Dine Smart and Cafe Smart campaigns before?
All images sourced from Street Smart website
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I Spy Plum Pie is Liz, an early 30s kiwi-born, Melbourne raised girl who is passionate about the environment and sustainability, food, exploring and learning new things. Join me on my journey to a happy, sustainable life!