Monday 27 July 2015

Buy a suspended coffee for the homeless

Have you ever heard of a suspended coffee? Well, I hadn't until I saw a local TV news segment featuring a 'hole in the wall' cafe called Bounce in our CBD where you can pay for a coffee for another person and when enough have been paid for vouchers are then given to a local charity to be handed out to the needy.


I thought that this was a really good idea at the time and made up my mind to buy a few extra 'suspended' coffees if I ever found myself near Bounce but I rarely go to the CBD as it is so difficult to find a park there. However, I couldn't pass up the Lincraft sale recently so headed up from there to Bounce to check it out. It is literally a 'hole in the wall' along the street between Rivers and Cotton-On  and it must be terribly cold for the workers there during our cold winter weather.


There is no seating apart from a bench on the footpath but I presume most patrons just buy their coffee and move on. I take my hat off to the owners as they also train young people from the Toowoomba Flexi School . The cafe will be very popular during National Homeless Prevention Week from the 3rd to 9th August and I am sure will be visited quite often by Nat Spary from The Base
 which runs the only soup kitchen in Toowoomba and Jon Martlew from Rosies - Friends on the Street which works with marginalised people in town. Both men are going to be living on the streets for the week and that is no mean feat in the middle of winter in our city.

Photo by Ian Anderson ~ Used with permission from Nat Spary

This intriguing photo of Nat appeared in the Toowoomba Chronicle last week and he explained in the article that the soup kitchen needed funding in order to stay open and was hoping to raise $100,000 during the week that he and Jon would be homeless. So far $6000 has been donated and hopefully those who read about the plight of the homeless and disadvantaged will be happy to help the men reach their goal. Nat knows what it is like to be living on the streets as he did so at the tender age of 15 as it wasn't safe for him to stay at home any longer. 

So if you would like to donate to a worthy cause, you can do so here. If you live in the region and are near the CBD you can drop off cash at 10 Neil Street, Toowoomba or a cheque can be made out to the BASE and posted to PO Box 2216, Toowoomba 4350. I am sure that any donation, no matter how large or small, would be much appreciated and make those nights spent freezing on the streets worthwhile.



Before I go, can any of my readers identify this succulent. There are succulents and there are succulents and some are nicer than others and I really didn't like this particular one and was wondering whether to pull it out or not.


However, recently I have noticed that it was starting to flower and was interested to see what they would turn out like. Well, they are now opening up and are turning out to be quite pretty as the orange contrasts beautifully with the pink.



I think it might be a keeper after all. :-) I just need to give it a name. Any clues?



12 comments:

  1. Such a worthy cause. There is so much need in our communities.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a splendid idea - I walk past many, many people begging at the train stations in Sydney every morning and every afternoon - some look so hopeless. It confuses me as to what to do that would make a real difference (besides coffee obviously). Social work is so complex

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is sad, Phil. I have never seen anyone begging when I go to Brisbane. A lot of those people would have a mental health problem and need assistance to live independently but that isn't to be had these days unfortunately.

      Delete
  3. Hi Nana, could your plant be a kalanchoe? Here's a link to a picture: http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/stemmed-plant-with-downhanging-orange-blooms.html#axzz3h9OyG0pM
    Toodles~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mary, it looks like it. It is totally different from the yellow flowering kalanchoe we have. The flower is very pretty though.

      Delete
  4. I've read about places in the US that have the suspended coffee system, some places will even accept the price of a sandwich. I think this is such a wonderful idea, but I hadn't heard of anywhere in Australia doing it (not to say there isn't). I usually offer to buy homeless people a meal if I see them begging, it ensures they have something to eat, and a full tummy and that any money they're given isn't spent on less nourishing purchases....or if they do, at least they have some food as well.
    I have that plant in my garden too, I don't think it's a kalanchoe, I have them too, and it's a very different leaf and growing form. But I don't know what it is, it self-sows and they pop up everywhere, but I leave them as they're a free plant to fill up spaces, or they fill a pot nicely. Perhaps they are a weed. Mine is getting ready to flower, I'm a but further south than you.
    I wanted to ask too.....does your Simple Living Group have a website or Fb page. I'd like to see if our community would be interested and it's always helpful to point people to someone else who's done something new successfully, and they can read about how and what is done. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nanette, if you click on the Simple Living Toowoomba photo in the sidebar it will take you to the website. Our co-ordinator Margy is very busy so doesn't have time to keep the blog up to date but you can still check out the different workshops we have had. I did do a post on how our group started a little while ago and it should be in the Simple Living Toowoomba section at the bottom of my blog where the labels are. If you can't find it I will send you the link later. I am on my iPad now and it is easier to do any linking when I am on the PC. I would imagine there would be heaps of interest in a group where you live.

      Delete
    2. Thanks Nana Chel, I'll have a look, and put some ideas together to put to the community, I guess it's ok to link to your posts as well the Simple Living blog?

      Delete
    3. Nanette, yes that is fine. Here is the link to the post on how our group started up http://goinggreyandslightlygreen.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/organic-gardening-workshop-simple.html. It all started after Rhonda visited our city library a few years ago. Hope this info helps. Just email me if you have any questions.

      Delete
  5. Nanna Chel,
    I've never heard of the suspended coffee system it's a good idea. I'll look into it next time I'm in town.
    Hope you are staying warm.
    Shiralee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shiralee, it is between Rivers and Cotton-On in Ruthven Street.

      Delete

Thanks so much for leaving your comments as I love to hear from my readers. As soon as I check them they will be published. If for some reason you have trouble leaving a comment feel free to email me directly by filling out the 'Contact Me' form on the sidebar at the right.

Printfriendly

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...