Today’s the day – CaféSmart 2016 – the one special day of the year the coffee community comes together to help raise awareness and funds to combat homelessness.
On 5 August, CaféSmart participating cafés will donate $1 from every coffee sold on the day to support local homeless projects in their local suburbs. Coffee roasters are supporting the cause through the donation of beans to wholesale customers, while anyone can contribute by making an online donation during August.
More than 450 cafés and 35 coffee roasters registered for the event.
The total funds raised for CaféSmart 2015 was $135,612, and this year the campaign is hoping to achieve a target of $200,000 to raise funds for local homeless services.
Proving small community grants do impact lives, Orana House Manager Kristine McConnell said thanks to CaféSmart 2015 donations, Orana House established its Undercover project.
“We have had over 100 women and children come to the refuge for crisis accommodation and all of them have had the dignity of wearing a new pair of pyjamas and climbing into a bed with fresh linen that was theirs to keep. Many have been so overwhelmed that they can’t thank us enough so I pass their thanks on to you,” she told StreetSmart. “One women arrived in a jumper, a pair of her daughters shorts and thongs – that’s it – no underwear, purse or ID. She cried in my arms when she had a hot bath and got all rugged up for the night.”
There’s plenty of ways to support CaféSmart today:
1. Visit your nearest CaféSmart café and purchase a coffee. To find out where you nearest CaféSmart café is, click here to see a google map featuring all cafés supporting CaféSmart.
2. Make a donation at a participating CaféSmart café – most will have a donation box on the counter.
3. Use the CaféSmart Donate-a-Coffee initiative. Using Stripe, an online payment portal, CaféSmart has designed an easy donation process so that donations to the value of one, three or five coffees can be made in a matter of seconds. Click here for more information.
4. Share your best images on social media for the chance to win some great prizes. It’s as easy as taking a snap inspired by CaféSmart’s coffee cup smiley logo, and hashtag #CafeSmart. For inspiration, click here.
5. Engage friends, family and colleagues in conversation about homelessness. The more we can generate awareness and the issues surrounding the issues, the greater the solutions and education may be.
Help make a difference to the lives who need it most and support CaféSmart on 5 August.
For more information visit streetsmartaustralia.org/cafesmart/
