Donating While You Eat!!!!
24 November 2003 at 12:11 pm
Going out to dinner? Well here’s a new fundraising campaign that helps donors help the homeless while they eat! The campaign is called Be StreetSmart.
StreetSmart is a fundraising campaign that gives restaurant goers the opportunity to provide funds for organisations assisting the homeless.
From 10 November until 24 December, every time a diner eats at a StreetSmart restaurant they have the option of donating $1.
100% of donations collected through restaurants will go to organisations helping the homeless.
A small green card on the restaurant table explains by declaring it is part of the StreetSmart Campaign to help the homeless in that state.
A voluntary $1 donation is added to the table’s bill but if the diners prefer not to contribute or want to give more they just have to say so when they ask for the bill.
There is a rider on this regarding tipping….the card says it is important that you consider your contribution to StreetSmart Australia as over an above any tip you would like to leave.
The card also includes a line of encouragement from StreetSmart Patron Tim Costello.
He says StreetSmart is a simple idea that can make a big difference to many people. Eat well and feel good about helping out.
StreetSmart Australia’s aim is to fund all its administrative expenses through sponsorship. In 2003it has been able to meet this aim through the support of private sponsors and corporate partners who have provided their services free of charge.
StreetSmart Australia, in consultation with its Advisory Committee and the wider community, will distribute all donations from the campaign to charities and Not for Profit organisations that support the homeless.
These charities and organisations may provide accommodation, meals, clothes, counselling, employment services or emergency assistance.
StreetSmart Australia says it will particularly focus on smaller grassroots organisations and projects that traditionally struggle to find financial support, but which provide critical support to those on the community fringe.
Depending on the amount raised, it hopes to be able to make a number of grants to different beneficiaries each year. The first distributions will be made early in 2004 once it has collected all donations and identified projects for funding.
The StreetSmart concept comes from the UK and was launched in London in 1998 by William Sieghart, Chairman of Forward Ltd. and Mary-Lou Sturridge, Director of the Groucho Club.
They realised that, in the months leading up to Christmas, many people go out to restaurants to celebrate the season. They decided it would be a great idea to harness that good cheer to raise money for the homeless.
In 2002 over 300 restaurants from across the UK took part, and since StreetSmart began over one million pounds have been raised.
StreetSmartUSA was launched earlier this year in San Francisco, and now the idea has travelled to Australia.
StreetSmart Australia is running the first campaign in Melbourne and so far some 19 restaurants have signed on.
Check out the website at www.streetsmartaustralia.org.
