The Coffee Club Australia joins the fight against homelessness for the second year as part of the 2023 CafeSmart initiative. The cafe chain will be fundraising during 1-7 August and donating $1 for every takeaway coffee sold across the country on Friday, 4 August to StreetSmart Australia.
“We are proud to be rejoining the fight against homelessness, after raising over $18,000 for CafeSmart in 2022,” says National Partnerships Marketing Manager Jessica Crokidas. “Our continued partnership with StreetSmart on this initiative is something our communities can truly reap the benefits from across the country.”
CafeSmart, a StreetSmart initiative, has raised over $2 million over its tenure through cafes across Australia. Funds raised across the week are tracked and returned to grassroots organisations from where the money was raised. In 2022, The Coffee Club joined as the first national cafe chain to support the cause.
“We know we have a homelessness crisis in Australia and CafeSmart shows that the public want that to change and do their bit to help. It’s a great opportunity to help fund smaller homeless services on the frontline. We encourage everyone to find their local participating cafe. But if you can’t head into a cafe, you can donate the cost of a coffee through our website,” says StreetSmart Australia CEO Geoff Hills.
This news comes after The Coffee Club Australia’s recent tour of 3rd Space, a Brisbane-local organisation that CafeSmart fundraised for in 2022.
“It has been a fantastic experience for our stores to follow the journey of the fundraising efforts in store and see it make change in their communities,” Ms Crokidas said. “Our recent visit to 3rd Space truly reinforced our support for CafeSmart and how important it is to help organisations, like 3rd Space, provide their essential services.”
3rd Space is a centre where people experiencing or at risk of homelessness find support, friendship, and dignity. The centre supports a variety of funded initiatives to help skill-building, quality of life and more – but also relies on community support, such as CafeSmart, to run un-funded but equally essential supports, such as a cafe offering, hot showers, laundry services and more.
“3rd Space is dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness through supporting at-risk people today and preparing them for tomorrow,” says 3rd Space CEO Lesley Leece. “Having the support from organisations such as StreetSmart and The Coffee Club is vital – not only to run our programs, but also to spread awareness throughout our community so more people can support the cause.”
To join the fight against homelessness in Australia, get your daily coffee at your local The Coffee Club cafe on Friday, 4 of August, or donate at donorbox.org/cafesmart2023-donate-tcc.
