Caffeine to combat homelessness

SIX local cafes joined a national campaign last week that’s helped raise millions of dollars to tackle homelessness.

The Surf Coast, Bellarine and Geelong cafes were among 670 venues nationally that contributed a dollar from every coffee sold last Friday, August 5, to the CafeSmart campaign, that’s raised $1.7 million in 11 years for grassroot charities.

The number of participating venues across Australian has more than doubled in the last 12 months, with 300 taking part in the 2021 campaign.

While many of the region’s cafes who took part in the CafeSmart event were yet to tally how much they’d raised, Drysdale gallery and café Artisans of Australia reported a total of $230, gathered through a combination of coffee sales and customer donations that were matched by the business.

The Torquay Larder raised $610, including $120 in its tip jar from generous customers, and for Newtown’s Pakington Pantry it was the sixth time taking part in the annual campaign.

The Coffee Club at Bay City in Geelong and Newtown’s Newfolk Café were also participating venues, as was the Pier St Café in Portarlington.

A focus of Victoria’s day of fundraising was for young women experiencing homelessness, families facing food insecurity, and educational support for First Nations youth.

Previous grant recipients and local community partners include Geelong Mums and the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative.