The grinding of coffee beans, the pouring of frothed milk and the smell of fresh coffee is something that most Melbourne cafes have in common. Our city is home to over 2,000 cafes and run by some of the best baristas in the world. And while they’re all competing against each other to fuel Melbourne’s coffee obsession, not all of these cafes are just about the coffee.
Here are five philanthropic cafes that you need to check out and support with the state returning to a COVID-normal setting.
1. The GAP Cafe
Only a short stroll from Flagstaff gardens lies dog-friendly coffee-house, the GAP cafe. While they’re just as much about serving quality food and coffee, they have a radiant passion for dogs, particularly greyhounds. The cafe has iPads set up with a list of the current greyhounds available for adoption on the Greyhound Adoption Program’s website, helping give rescued and retired racing greyhounds a second chance at life.
2. Feast of Merit
Both a cafe and a restaurant, you can support charities while dining in at the Richmond venue. Feast of Merit is also an initiative of YGAP – Y-Generation Against Poverty – which aids in projects across Australia, Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda, Cambodia and Bangladesh. The restaurant’s menu also reflects the value of compassion, as their Middle-Eastern-inspired menu incorporates dishes that would usually be shared within a community.
3. STREAT
Spread across four cafes in inner-Melbourne, along with a catering business and batch roastery, STREAT is a non-for-profit coffee business that is dedicated to ending youth homelessness. The group provides formal training to young homeless individuals, putting a spin on typical support programs. Since launching their first coffee cart in 2010, they’ve trained over 500 homeless teenagers and have served 1.5 million cups of coffee within the city.
4. Kinfolk
On the corner of Bourke street just opposite Southern Cross station, Kinfolk is a volunteer-run cafe that provides brunch with a twist. With a menu based on the talents and ideas of volunteer employees, you’re bound to get a different dish every time you dine-in. All profits made by the venue are donated towards developmental projects such as raising awareness about children’s rights in Ghana, building initiatives in Rwanda and educational programs for the Indigenous Youth associations of Melbourne.
5. Lentil as Anything
Founded 20 years ago, Lentil as Anything wouldn’t be serving quality vegan dishes if it wasn’t for the generosity of their diners. In the beginning, they had no set price for their food but rather a money box that sat on their counter, trusting that their customers would pay based on what they felt the food and service was worth. Lentil still follows such modelling to some extent today, while hiring both once unemployed and volunteer workers who are eager to give back to their community.
Melbourne’s cafes and restaurants need all the support they can get in this time of need, especially those who simultaneously are trying to help out others while their businesses are on the brink of collapse. Lending them a helping hand is as simple as buying a cup of coffee and spreading the word about what it is that they do best.