Five cafes in Orange are all looking to make a difference next week when they will donate $1 from every coffee sold on August 3 to help alleviate homelessness in and around Orange.
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The Blind Pig, Merv’s Eatery, Village Bakehouse, Good Eddy and Racine Bakery will all be taking part in CafeSmart, which is organised by nation-wide charity StreetSmart.
The attractive factor for many of the cafe owners is that the money raised in Orange will stay in Orange, with funds going towards Veritas House.
Merv’s Eatery owner Emma Murphy said this was the first year Mervs had jumped on board and wanted to “give back” to the community which had supported them.
She said freezing winters made it nearly impossible for the homeless to sleep on the street in Orange like in Sydney or Melbourne, and as of such it wasn’t something people in the Central West considered.
“I think homelessness is more of a problem than people realise because its not in our faces … it’s a big issue.”
The Blind Pig’s Kate Turner said she had a personal connection with the cause, which they have joined for the first time this year.
“I’ve had a couple of family members who have been homeless for a time, so that was something that resonated with us,” she said.
“We try and do as much fundraising for local communities as we can, and we can see where our help is going, so it makes it that little bit more personal for us all.
“When we found out the money was staying locally with the program so we were very keen to jump on board.”
When we found out the money was staying locally with the program so we were very keen to jump on board.
- The Blind Pig's Kate Turner
Good Eddy’s Toby Howell said he and his wife Maddy – who own and run the cafe – had been supporting CafeSmart for three years.
“I used to work in Melbourne and it was a big thing down there, so we brought it up here,” he said.
“We don’t have any personal experience with it, it’s just a good thing to support and get behind.”
StreetSmart CEO Adam Robinson said he was proud of the community base to the campaign, which has been donating to Veritas for years.
“We’ve been supporting Veritas with a Christmas lunch initiative for a long time and love that Orange is such a generous community,” he said.
The Blind Pig, Mervs Eatery, Village Bakehouse, Good Eddy and Racine Bakery will take part in CafeSmart across Orange on Friday, August 3, and will also have donation boxes for extra donations.
Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
