The annual coffee movement CafeSmart, under the umbrella of StreetSmart, will take place from 1 to 7 August, uniting roasters, cafés, and coffee lovers to help fight homelessness and support those at risk in their local area.
Kicking off in just four weeks, cafés from all states and territories are encouraged to join and celebrate a week of pouring coffees for a good cause, during ‘Homelessness Week’.
“The Single O crew love to get involved and every year it’s a case of thinking differently how we increase the donations. We always encourage our cafés to join the event and we also support them with a few free beans on the day,” says Mike Brabant, General Manager, Single O.
“We have inspired but not mandated ‘smart dress ups on the day’ to our café staff, and over the last few years have run a $5 per pack incentive on retail and online sales which has gone well. People love to get involved with it.”
This year, after the height of the pandemic and devastating floods in Queensland and Northern New South Wales, donated funds will be aimed around emergency relief efforts, material aid and support for people most at risk of homelessness.
There are already more than 200 cafés registered to take part in the event and help raise funds by donating $1 per coffee sold on Friday 5 August. They will also encourage customers to donate the cost of a coffee via a QR code featured on stickers to be placed on coffee cups, posters, and in-store signage.
Coffee roasters are getting involved by encouraging their wholesale café network to take part in the event, and by raising funds from retail bean sales.
“We have hundreds of loyal participants getting involved every year, as they see CafeSmart as a great opportunity to build team engagement and show their customers they are taking action to improve the lives of disadvantaged people in their area,” says Cynthia Mac Caddon Partnerships Manager at StreetSmart Australia.
At the end of the event, StreetSmart Australia will map donations, ensuring funds stay in the same area where they were raised. Participants and generous donors will help fund vital services tackling homelessness, such as women’s refuges, medical outreach teams and youth services, and will also aid in providing emergency relief, meals, clothes, bedding, showers and much more to those in need.
Cafe’s registrations will close by 16 July. CafeSmart encourages everyone to join the coffee movement and show audiences the importance of helping the local community.
To sign up, visit https://streetsmartaustralia.org/cafesmart/cafe-sign-up/