The Coffee Club, in collaboration with Vitasoy Australia, kickstarted CafeSmart 2022 donations by offering free coffees at its Highpoint Shopping Centre store on Friday 29 July.
Coffee lovers were encouraged to donate the cost of their coffee instead, to start raising funds for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in their local area.
Homelessness Week 2022 takes place from 1 to 7 August. More than 630 cafes in Australia are taking action through CafeSmart by raising money to support their local homeless charities and services.
Since its inception, the event has raised over $1.6 million across 1000 projects to help tackle homelessness.
“We know we have a homelessness crisis in Australia and with the recent rises in the costs of living, our collective efforts through events like CafeSmart, make for a sensible and local approach to a growing demand on local services. It’s incredible to see hundreds of local businesses like The Coffee Club, standing up for their local communities to show support,” says CEO of StreetSmart Australia Geoff Hills.
This year, The Coffee Club is joining this coffee movement with more than 250 stores across the country, helping raise vital funds and awareness for grassroots homeless and community organisation across all states and territories.
“At The Coffee Club, we are passionate about supporting our local communities and believe that everyone has the right to feel safe and secure. That’s why we are incredibly proud to be the first national café chain to be part of CafeSmart and do our bit to take action against homelessness and support grassroots organisations,” says Nick Bryden, CEO of The Coffee Club Australia.
In Australia, there are over 116,000 people experiencing homelessness at any given night. Homelessness Week aims to raise awareness of the impact of homelessness in Australia and support those who need it most.
“We want to amplify our mission with partners such as StreetSmart who create positive impact on a national scale. Our partnership with CafeSmart, now into its fourth year, is a terrific cause for Vitasoy Australia to get behind and act towards our corporate and social responsibility,” says David Tyack, Managing Director at Vitasoy Australia.
To donate the cost of coffee online or find your local CafeSmart cafe, visit streetsmartaustralia.org/cafesmart
