Grill’d and major charities join forces to end homelessness

Grill’d – Australia’s favourite home-grown burger brand – has announced a National Takeover of their Local Matters fundraising program for the month of June. Grill’d will donate $75,000 across key charity partners, the Australian Red Cross, St Vincent de Paul Society and The Salvation Army to combat the concerning issues of homelessness across the country.

Every day, hundreds of Australians facing homelessness approach charitable organisations for support. Within Australia, there are around 116,000 Australians experiencing homelessness.

The latest facts:

Supplied by St Vincent de Paul Society:

• Demand for Vinnies’ Inner-City Soup Van rose between May and June by 25% (within VIC)
• Demand at a new mobile kitchen went up 40% within a week. The biggest rises came during the pandemic, but are continuing to rise. On the Inner Soup Van hub in Melbourne:

1. In 19/20 122,000 meals served;
2. In 20/21 373,000 meals served;
3. In 21/22 348,000 meals served so far and will surpass 400,000 by end of June.

Supplied by The Salvation Army:

• The number of clients seeking assistance from Specialist Homelessness Services agencies increased by +14% or 34,800 increase in the last 5 years.
• Extreme financial stress brought on by the pandemic made the risk of intimate partner violence three times higher, while changed working conditions led to women being twice as likely to experience domestic abuse. Women living with violence are often caught between two heartbreaking choices: stay and suffer abuse – or leave and face homelessness.
• In 2020/21FY The Salvation Army provided 887,500 crisis beds to people experiencing homelessness

Supplied by the Australian Red Cross:

• On average, each year, Red Cross helps 2180 people to find housing, assists 1360 people at risk of becoming homeless, and provides 43300 meals to people experiencing hardship.

This month, Grill‘d’s Local Matters program will be dedicated to supporting organisations who help Australians facing homelessness and other societal disadvantages in our cities. Guests can contribute by simply heading in-restaurant, and allocating their Local Matters token (from each burger purchase) to vote for their chosen charity. At the end of the month, Grill’d will count votes towards a nationwide tally, and provide a financial donation allocation to the charities. Local Matters is an integral part of Grill’d’s commitment to support local communities and has been in place since 2011.

Simon Crowe, Grill’d Founder and Managing Director says, “We usually take what we’ve got for granted. Most of us have a warm place to sleep, regular meals, and a roof over our heads. But for some, this isn’t the case. That’s why in June, we’re giving back in a big way and taking our Local Matters program national. In addition to this initiative, we’ve recently launched a national program supporting those doing it tough in our cities, where every month we close five restaurants for an evening to give back to those who need it most.”

“We launched Local Matters in 2011 to give back to our local communities because they matter to us. Since then we’re proud to say we’ve raised over $1 million per year and over $6 million since its inception, supporting over 30,000 community groups, organisations and projects.”

Major Bruce Hammer, Head of Public Relations, The Salvation Army says, “Every 17 seconds, The Salvation Army in Australia helps someone at one of our services or programs. Funds raised from the Grill’d Local Matters campaign will help us to continue to bring hope to people who are vulnerable and in crisis. We can be there for the long haul, as we journey with them through their toughest days and into a brighter future.”

Lourdes Antenor

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Lourdes Antenor is an experienced writer who specialises in the not-for-profit sector and its affiliations. She is the content producer for Third Sector News, an online knowledge-based platform for and about the Australian NFP sector.

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