There are over 100,000 people experiencing homelessness at any one time in Australia. This winter, 22,000 people will be experience homelessness in Victoria with 1,100 people sleeping rough on any particular night.*
Many people will face Melbourne’s bitter cold and try to find shelter wherever they can; this includes cars, unfit buildings, floors or anywhere that will give protection from the elements.
This winter we are launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise an additional $3,000 to help give hope and the warmth of 200 blankets, to the people who need it most.
The need for blankets is all year round and as we grow, we are getting approached by more and more charities and community groups requesting for blankets. We need as much support from the greater community as possible to ensure we can do our part in keeping the community warm.
The crowdfunding campaign ends on June 30th. Please donate today to help keep our community warm.
300 Blankets Winter Appeal – Goal $3000 (by StreetSmartAust Projects)
[Update: 20/06/2015]
Thanks so much for your donation to our Winter Appeal, it’s great to have your support for our work to keep people warm this winter. The 300 Blankets team have been stoked by the response from the public for the appeal, we have now reached 78% of our target ($2319) – with 8 days to go. If we do reach the $3000 target StreetSmart will kick in a further $1000 which would be just awesome.
The need for warmth and blankets is ever important and demand always outstrips supply. Since the start of this crowdfunding campaign, we have been approached and added two new charities to our list of beneficiaries for blankets – Wesley Mission and Urban Seed.
During our outreach over the weekend, we met a man sleeping rough in one of the laneways of the Melbourne CBD. When we started talking, he sadly told us that he has been sleeping rough for quite sometime and is having trouble finding accommodation. To make matters worse, we were told that whilst he was sleeping just three weeks ago, someone walked past and stole his backpack which contained absolutely everything he owned. As we were trying to comprehend how anyone could rob a person already with so little, we were just so thankful to be able to hand him with a brand new, warm blanket. This is just one of the many examples of how your generous donation is making a direct difference to people experiencing homelessness.
Thanks again for the donation and I look forward to keeping you up to date with the campaign. As we are close to the end of the campaign can you help us reach more people and spread the word to your friends or work colleagues – that may just help us get to our target.
[Update: 02/07/2015]
We achieved our target! On behalf of the entire team at 300 Blankets, we would like to thank all supporters of our Winter Warmers – Blanket Drive crowdfunding campaign. Together we raised a whopping $3350! As we achieved our target, we have also received a bonus $1000 from StreetSmart Australia. This will enable 300 Blankets to purchase 290 blankets. As we go through a very cold winter, these blankets will be crucial for people experiencing homelessness in Victoria.
