Sleepout for Soul 2022 is Soul Cafés major yearly fundraiser
Sleepout for Soul is local grassrootz charity Soul Café’s big annual fundraising event. The proceeds from Sleepout will cover the costs of this vital community need for 5-7months. Sleepout for Soul 2021 saw 351 participants join us in person or virtually and raised over $180,000.
Taking place on Friday 27 May, fundraisers can choose to roll out a swag under the stars at Bolton Street car park. Alternatively, they can join the live event via Zoom as they ‘glamp out’ with family, friends or colleagues in their backyard, lounge room, balcony or office. We aim to register 400 people to Sleepout and raise $175,000.
For the first time ever Sleepout for Soul has a major sponsor in Insync Design and Building covering the costs. This means every cent fundraised will go directly to serving the needs of our guests and supporting the vulnerable, homeless, mentally unwell and addicted members of our local community.
This year, Newcastle’s own Garth Russel will be showing his support by hosting the Zoom event and local artist Crocq will provide live music.
Participants can register online through our new website https://soulcafe.org.au
About Soul Café
Soul Café was established in 2003 to serve free hot meals to the vulnerable people of Newcastle. Today we serve hundreds of meals a week and have expanded to a range of essential services provided free of charge. These necessary services include mental health counselling, drug, gambling, pantry services, alcohol, and substance abuse-based programs, attending services including hairdressing, chiropractors, podiatry clinics, doctor clinics, job hubs, audiologists and more. Towards the end of 2021 Soul Café hired our first ever social worker who has provided a critical help to hundreds of vulnerable people since taking her position.
Belonging - Guest Story
Our Troy was one of our family who came to Soul daily. We have known Troy for 7+ years and have walked his journey with him. He came to Soul with his dog Tess who also belonged to our family. Troy suffered from substance addictions and lived on and off the streets. Although Troy never really changed his lifestyle, he still belonged to Soul and nearly ever day he would come in to have a meal with his Soul family. Last year we tragically lost Troy in a house fire that was devasting. At Soul that day we lost a part of our family. Some journeys in life might not change in the way we would like, or we can understand, but we are so privileged to have known our Troy as friend and family.
This week we had a New Volunteer start at Soul and while we were chatting, he shared a brief story “At a vulnerable time in my life with nowhere to go, coming out of hospital, no money, I was greeted by a man who had a shopping trolley filled with all different belongings, a dog and probably not looking the best. He offered me a roof over my head, food for the next 2 weeks (brought me to Soul basically) and looked after me, I will never forget the change he made in my life.
His name was Troy …. He belonged to Soul and now I (the new volunteer) do too...”
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