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Restaurants raising vital funds for homeless charities
StreetSmart has been going since 1998 and since then it has raised more than £10m for homeless and vulnerable people across the UK.
Having been in Bristol for 15 years, StreetSmart receives great support from the restaurant community but there is still work to be done.
The past six months have been challenging for us all, but StreetSmart funds are needed now, more than ever, to help a new wave of vulnerable and homeless people.
This year’s campaign started on November 1 and – despite the imminent second national lockdown – will continue until the end of 2020, with all funds raised being given to local charities helping homeless people whose lives have been severely hit by the Covid-19 crisis.
One hundred per cent of every £1 raised by restaurants that take part will be distributed by StreetSmart to local charities working to combat the issues of homelessness in Bristol.
That means that when customers spend local, the money stays local. This is possible because all of the running and operational costs of StreetSmart are covered by its sponsor, LandAid, so none of the funds raised are spent on admin or marketing.
Many of the charities rely on StreetSmart as their sole source of external funding. Some of the charities supported in Bristol are 1625 Independent People, Emmaus, One25 and St Mungo’s Broadway.
Bristol’s homelessness crisis is becoming increasingly more visible – photo: Martin Booth
For Bertha’s Pizza co-owners Kate and Graham Faragher, Streetsmart “is such a simple way to help those around us”.
They said: “It’s why we’ve supported it with our customers for the last three years. With more people becoming homeless due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic this is needed more than ever.”
Another Wapping Wharf restaurant taking part in this year’s campaign is Box-E. Tessa Lidstone said that StreetSmart “totally sums up our belief that it’s possible to make a big change if everyone does a little”.
She said: “So many more people have become homeless or close to homeless because of the impact of coronavirus so it feels essential to keep on working to support people on the streets who don’t have the privilege of staying at home or washing their hands.”
These are 2020’s participating Bristol restaurants:
- Bertha’s
- Bomboloni
- Box-E
- Caper & Cure
- Fishers
- The Gallimaufry
- Harbour House
- Poco
- Rock Salt
- Souk Kitchen
- Wilson’s
- Woky Ko
Restaurants can still sign up to take part. Visit www.streetsmart.org.uk for more information.
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more: Numbers seeking help for homelessness expected to rise in Bristol
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