STREAT Charity Profile

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Background

  • Charity name: STREAT
  • Charity location: Victoria, Australia
  • Charity partner since: 2013

Why We Support This Charity

They are actively stopping homelessness in a way that directly supports the food and service community – our community. 

STREAT catering lunch in donated BioPak paperboard clamshell with wood cutlery setSTREAT catering lunch in donated BioPak paperboard clamshell with wood cutlery set
STREAT’s catering lunch. Credit @streatmelbourne

About the Charity

STREAT is a not-for-profit social enterprise that provides homeless and disengaged young people, aged between 16 and 25, a pathway to employment in the hospitality industry.

In 2010, STREAT’s staff – plus nine hopeful but homeless young trainees – pushed its first coffee and food carts on Melbourne’s streets. The organisation was convinced the streets should be a vibrant place, where young people could learn to prepare and serve delicious meals – rather than be a place where they were forced to live.

10 years and over 2,500,000 customers later, STREAT operates three inner-city cafes, a catering business and a small-batch coffee roasting company, and has trained and supported over 900 young homeless people. STREAT’s recipe for success is simple; build a team that is passionate about stopping homelessness – and passionate about creating high-quality food and coffee businesses.

About Their Cause

Youth homelessness and disadvantage are hard to swallow. That’s why STREAT works to stop it, one mouthful at a time. They offer disadvantaged youth aged 16-25 a supported pathway from the street to a sustainable livelihood. The majority of these youth will leave school before Year 10 with no formal education. 57% are destined for long-term unemployment.

Our Impact

BioPak has been supporting STREAT since 2013 by supplying all their foodservice packaging needs from custom BioCups to sugarcane pulp takeaway at cost price. We are proud to have helped them serve over 2 million cups of takeaway coffees. Our product support means that they are able to use their funding to help more in-need youth.

STREAT custom BioCupSTREAT custom BioCup
STREAT’s custom paper cup. Credit @streatmelbourne

STREAT supports and trains disengaged and homeless youth for up to six months across its multiple social enterprises. Trainees learn to prepare and serve fantastic meals and coffees, as well as developing professional experience and life-skills. They also study for fully accredited certificate qualifications in hospitality. Committing to six months of training is a big challenge. Turning up on time, in good shape, for a class or a cafe shift is one of the biggest achievements of the trainees. It is the first key step in rebuilding young lives.

We hope their story inspires you to help them in some way, too. We are together for a better world.

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