CafeSmart has announced the 2023 event has raised more than $145,000 so far. StreetSmart is now working on allocating these funds to support charity partners in the same communities where the participating cafés are located.
This year CafeSmart had the support of 44 roasters, 717 cafés, thousands of coffee lovers, and principal sponsors Vitasoy, La Marzocco, made by Fressko, and also supporting sponsor Coffee Tools Distributing. The event sold more than 145,000 coffees on Friday 6 August.
“Everyone who walked into their local café and bought a coffee on CafeSmart day played a valuable part in supporting our cause,” says Cynthia Mac Caddon, Partnerships Manager of StreetSmart Australia.
“The true power of each cup stems from the collaboration and effort of everyone involved. With the sale of over 145,000 cups of coffee on that day alone, we are now able to fill in the funding gaps for many of our grassroots organisations, which is truly remarkable.”
According to StreetSmart, Australia is facing a chronic and deepening housing crisis thanks to historic lows of affordable housing availability and unrelenting rent increases, up 11.5 per cent from 12 months ago.
In a recent survey sent to all community partners as part of StreetSmart’s 20th anniversary, the organisation received feedback from its charity partners, who shared how vital the grants are for the programs and services offered to the people in their communities who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
“We are so very grateful for the funding we receive from StreetSmart through the CafeSmart initiative. It makes an enormous difference to our ability to sustain our Food Pantry program which helps us support the most financially disadvantaged people in our community. It’s also a fabulous way for the local cafés in our small community to provide practical support to us and raise awareness,” says Hayley Everuss from The Hut Community Centre.
CafeSmart is aiming to have all grants distributed by the end of the month and will be sharing a detailed listing of all grant recipients across the country.
For expressions of interest in CafeSmart 2024, click here. To support StreetSmart Australia, click here.
