Five South African restaurants contributed almost a third of the R1 million StreetSmart monies raised last year, with La Mouette in Sea Point being streets ahead in raising the most from the voluntary donations made by its diners. 

We have written about StreetSmart before, using the concept of #EatOutHelpOut, to describe the cumulative benefit of a R5 donation added to every bill at participating restaurants, to go to StreetSmart. StreetSmart funds a number of programs around the country to ‘prevent the vulnerable from becoming street children, and help children already on the streets through reintegration back into schools or families can be funded’. All the monies raised are used to support vulnerable children through education, skills training, and family reunification, to ‘normalize their lives and to be reintegrated into society‘. The educational benefit of StreetSmart is long term, compared to giving street children money directly, said Melanie Burke, Chairman of Street Smart. 

StreetSmart SA restaurant patrons donate over R1 million for the upliftment of street children!

La Mouette raised close to R90000 in 2016, with Savoy Cabbage (R62000), and Nona Lina (R45000) making up the top three contributing restaurants, all Cape Town based. The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français in Franschhoek raised R44000, while diners at Nguni in Plwttenberg Bay added R31000 to the charity fund. Other 2016 top ten restaurant contributors are Aubergine in Cape Town, Waterkloof Restaurant in Somerset West, The Fat Fish in Plettenberg Bay, The Roundhouse in Camps Bay, and The Taj Hotel restaurants in Cape Town. La Mouette co-owner Mari Vigar said that making a difference within needy communities is a big part of the restaurant’s success story, seeing StreetSmart as a ‘worthy cause’. Due to the long hours that they work in the restaurant they are unable to get involved in charity work directly, and therefore they support StreetSmart, being proud to be associated with the fundraising efforts. Vigar encouraged other restaurants to join, saying that the transfer of the funds is the best payment they do every month. 

To make StreetSmart contributing restaurants more visible to diners, new prominent street signage has been produced, to allow participating restaurants ‘to promote their support more visibly, helping diners to eat our more responsibly’. 

StreetSmart has operated in South Africa for eleven years, with similar fundraising  organizations operating in seven other countries, including the U.K., the USA (San Francisco), India, and Australia.  No part of the monies is used to fund the running of the charity operation. 

StreetSmart, Cape Town. Tel (021) 447-3227. www.streetsmartsa.org.za Twitter: @StreetSmartSA

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: click here Instagram: @Chris_Ulmenstein