.. Pictured: DineSmart 2023 grant recipients RIMERN, Housing for the Aged Action Group, and Open Table
DineSmart powers 34 community grants!
Community spirit was on full display in December as renowned restaurants across Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide teamed up with their generous diners to make their end-of-year festivities count. Together, their joint efforts have meant $148,900 of vital funding is supporting grassroots homelessness organisations. At a time when demand for housing is so high, rates of rough sleeping continue to climb, and frontline workers are overstretched, this funding will directly support people without a safe place to call home.
63 socially-conscious restaurateurs and their diners have been able to make an incredible collective effort through DineSmart, investing in impactful programs, that are caring for those sleeping rough, without a safe place to call home, or at risk of homelessness. The month-long initiative, which saw each participating restaurant add an optional $2 donation onto every bill, allowed diners to make a small but significant contribution and has enabled the distribution of 34 community grants to support people in their local communities.
34
5,020
148,900
Frontline homelessness services are doing more, with less
Nearly all our community partners are reporting increased numbers of people seeking urgent assistance, while their own utility bills, cost of supplies and services are all increasing.
As the current cost of living crisis runs on and deepens, more and more people are struggling to meet their basic needs and pay rent, often resulting in being unable to sustain their tenancy. We are seeing this resulting in increased homelessness and rough sleeping, including families and people in work.
Frontline services are struggling to offer the most basic support so these community grants are incredibly timely as all organisations do more, with less. That’s why these Community Grants are so important to the organisations that we support.
”"Over the past 18 months we have experienced approx 20% increase in our food costs and energy bills of the kitchen, compounded by an 50% increase in people walking through our doors needing food relief. We continue to run at a loss each year."
St Canice Kitchen, Sydney (Gadigal Country)
The difference a $2 donation makes
With all those $2 added to restaurant bills we have been able to fund 34 community grants to frontline grassroots organisation who are all short of resources…
34
25
30
Helping Prevent Homelessness
“The demand is at a level never seen before so this funding is very welcomed. We are continually inundated with clients needing housing assistance, including both rough sleepers and those at high risk of homelessness. There is no face to face service for people under housing stress in our area so our program allows for crucial intervention to assist clients from falling into acute homelessness.” – Western Port Community Support, Melbourne (Bunderong Country) supported by Port Phillip Estate
Caring for Women and Children
“The number of people who are homeless is growing, this is particularly apparent for women and children fleeing domestic violence. We have just opened a new transitional house and already have welcomed our first clients. They are both young heavily pregnant women who have been sleeping rough after fleeing domestic violence. as our accommodation is at full capacity.” – Cana Communities, in Sydney (Gadigal Country) supported by Sydney venues like Sixpenny
Pictured: Cana Communities
Pictured: The Big Umbrella Foundation
Outreach Support for Rough Sleepers
“The challenges faced by rough sleepers are numerous; lack of safe and affordable accommodation; family violence; financial and social exclusion; co-morbidity (mental health and physical issues); exposure to extreme weather events; marginalization and trauma. This DineSmart grant is helping provide rough sleeper packs that would include sleeping bags, toiletries, clothing, food and respite crisis accommodation”. –Merri Outreach Support Service (MOSS) in VIC, Naarm. Supported by Figlia
Feeding Those Going Hungry
“The demand for our free meal, food and material aid services have doubled in the past 12 months due to the cost of living crisis while our corporate sponsorship has halved. We are caring for more women, children, students and families than ever before in our 14 years of operations. We are hearing from our friends that they have to choose between paying for heating or rent over eating.” – The Big Umbrella Foundation in VIC, Naarm. Supported by Melbourne CBD restaurants like Hazel
Community Partner |
Grant |
| Sydney – NSW | |
| B Miles | $3,550.00 |
| Cana Communities | $3,550.00 |
| Deadly Connections | $3,550.00 |
| Early Bird Cafe / City Community Care Inc | $3,550.00 |
| Haymarket Foundation | $3,550.00 |
| St Canice’s Kitchen | $3,550.00 |
| Regional – NSW | |
| Manning Valley Neighbourhood Services | $1,000.00 |
| Adelaide – SA | |
| Cos We Care | $1,500.00 |
| Melbourne – VIC | |
| BANSIC (Banyule Support and Information Centre) | $4,600.00 |
| BayCISS – Bayside Community Information Support Services | $4,000.00 |
| Big Umbrella | $5,750.00 |
| CAN Community Support | $4,750.00 |
| Drummond Street | $4,750.00 |
| FareShare | $5,750.00 |
| Housing Aged Action Group | $5,750.00 |
| Inner Melbourne Community Legal | $5,750.00 |
| Merri Outreach Support Service – Northcote | $4,750.00 |
| Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal Corporation | $4,000.00 |
| Open Table | $5,750.00 |
| Port Phillip Community Group | $4,000.00 |
| RIMERN | $5,750.00 |
| Servants Community Housing | $5,500.00 |
| St Joseph’s Outreach Services | $4,000.00 |
| St Kilda Community Housing | $4,000.00 |
| St Kilda Gatehouse | $4,000.00 |
| St Mary’s House of Welcome | $4,750.00 |
| Tenants Victoria – Outreach | $5,750.00 |
| The Big Issue | $5,750.00 |
| Thread Together – Melbourne | $5,750.00 |
| VACSAL – Bert Williams Aboriginal Youth Services | $5,750.00 |
| Youth Law | $5,750.00 |
| Youth Projects | $5,750.00 |
| Regional – VIC | |
| One Humanity Shower Bus | $1,500.00 |
| Western Port Community Support | $1,500.00 |
Our DineSmart 2023 Partners
Shoutout to venue partners and their diners!
The success of DineSmart is a true testament to the generosity of our community and the dedication of our valued restaurant partners.
After engaging with the campaign for 13 years with Chin Chin (Melbourne and Sydney), restaurateur Chris Lucas activated DineSmart across all of his restaurants for the first time. Participating venues under Lucas restaurants umbrella, Society, Grill Americano, Kisume, Baby, Hawker Hall and Yakimono, joined forces with Chin Chin to raise a record breaking $73,113.50!
Trader House venues are no stranger to DineSmart, getting on board since day dot! This year the generous diner’s at their venues contributed more than $26,000 to the cause. Every donation was matched by the group, dollar for dollar, doubling the impact to over $52,000 raised! A huge thank you to Trader House for their incredible generosity!
We are so lucky to have an amazing and ever growing hospitality family and are so grateful to the new venues who rallied behind the cause this year, advocating for a world without homelessness. Big shout out to Freyja, Estate, Shutters, Ronnie’s, Lilac and Studio Amaro for their incredible support this year!
We love to see our venues get creative when it comes to their fundraising efforts. At Heide Kitchen the team went above and beyond by not only adding $2 on every bill, but also raising additional funds through the sale of their beloved corn fritters. Meanwhile, long-term venue partner, Stalactites raised funds by donating $1 from every dessert sold in December.
Sean and the team at Ladro, showed their ongoing support through their Charity BYO Mondays, with $5 corkage proceeds donated to DineSmart. Whilst over in Sydney, loyal DineSmart partner, The Apollo, raised additional funds through their Negroni week initiative.
The life changing impact these grants are having is not possible without the enthusiasm and support of our venue partners, our media partner Broadsheet and the thousands of diners who get behind DineSmart, year after year.
