The Top 5 contributing restaurants are La Mouette (Cape Town), raising R73,095, The Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa (Johannesburg), who raised R52,385.53, Taj Cape Town, raising R48,962.88, Savoy Cabbage (Cape Town), who raised R44,142.40, and Licorish Bistro (Johannesburg) who raised R35,960.
"We are humbled and honoured by the overwhelming support we have received from our patrons to be able to make a contribution to a cause we believe in this much. StreetSmart has become a part of our daily routine and is by far our favourite EFT of the month. It is our wish for 2016 that all restaurants support them," says Mari Vigar, co-owner of La Mouette, the top achieving restaurant in 2015.
"StreetSmart is a tangible and visible charity where you can help as much as you are comfortable with - your patrons can contribute and together you can physically see how you can change lives. Living the change you want to see is easy; with just one contribution at a time, you can change someone's life forever. This is what StreetSmart does and La Mouette is a proud partner of the journey," says Vigar.
Following in the wake of the Top 5 are restaurants such as Myoga @ The Vineyard Hotel, Aubergine - CPT, Tobago's @ Radisson Blu, Gold Restaurant and Nonna Lina.
Every cent of the donations received in these restaurants go to organisations that support vulnerable children through education, skills training and family reunification, in order to give them a chance to normalise their lives and to be re-integrated into society.
"We thank every one of our restaurant partners; they go out of their way to support us to raise funds for our beneficiaries. So dine out and donate in a StreetSmart restaurant. Giving money to a child on the street simply keeps them on the street," says Melanie Burke, chairperson of StreetSmart.
StreetSmart SA invites more restaurants to participate and more diners to choose to go to StreetSmart restaurants - this way more children's lives can be changed.
"So when you are planning a night out, think about taking a simple action and book at these StreetSmart participating restaurants. While you are there, encourage your fellow diners to dig deep and leave your donation on your bill," adds Burke.
StreetSmart SA was set up in 2005 by a group of concerned Capetonians under the patronage of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and comprises resourceful board members representing business and the hospitality and tourism industries. Similar StreetSmart organisations also run independently in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, USA and The Netherlands.
