EMERGENCY relief for the homeless on the Mornington Peninsula received a welcome shot in the arm in May with a $5000 grant from StreetSmart.
The money allowed Southern Peninsula Community Support and Information Centre to establish a food pantry to assist those at high risk of homelessness, or those that are homeless, with food, medication, transport and other material aid.
The pantry provides basic food to make needy people’s lives as comfortable as possible. It assists them to achieve self-reliance, thus encouraging self-determination over their lives.
And local businesses are eager to help: Through the DineSmart campaign restaurants Pizza D’Oh, Blairgowrie, Smokehouse Pizza, Sorrento, and Tucks Ridge Café, Red Hill, donated funds to StreetSmart. In the lead-up to the new year, the restaurants are asking each table to add a $2 donation to their bill for those in need.
“The simple idea is that everyone who dines out can leave a small donation to help in their local community,” StreetSmart Australia founder and CEO Adam Robinson said.
“From day one we have funded local grassroots services in the communities where the funds are raised. It’s important that these smaller services are supported as they are often on the front line. I’d encourage everyone to seek out these restaurants and chip in their $2.”
Southern Peninsula Community Support and Information Centre manager Jackie Currie, based at Rosebud, said: “It has been a challenging time for our community.
“The loss of any emergency relief funding simply means we are helping less. StreetSmart has made it possible for us to provide a new way of helping those who most need it.
“The support of our three local restaurants has been amazing, and we encourage more to come on board.
“Our hope over the next 12 months is to grow this pantry to include far more resources to assist those in our community who need these essential items.”
Cafes and restaurants wanting to sign up for DineSmart, or Café Smart – to open 5 August 2016 – can register online at streetsmartaustralia.org
Details: Southern Peninsula Community Support and Information Centre, 878 Point Nepean Rd, PO Box 91, Rosebud 3939, or call 5986 1285 or email admin@spcsic.org
The website is spcsic.org
Donations can be sent to givenow.com.au/southernpeninsulacomsupportandinfo
First published in the Mornington News – 15 December 2015
