South African restaurants support StreetSmart

Top restaurants in Cape Town and the surrounding Winelands are supporting the South African branch of charity StreetSmart during Winter Restaurant Week.

Running from 18-24 July, the initiative will see 57 restaurants offering special menus at affordable prices, with diners encouraged to add a R5 donation onto their bill, which will go towards the charity’s mission to help street children rebuild their lives.

Most of the participating restaurants will offer a three course dinner or lunch for cheaper than their standard à la carte menu, with prices per head ranging from between R100 to R250 per person. Many will also be offering wine pairings with each course.

Since the charity was first set up in 2005, it has raised over R4 million, which has been used for social development and educational projects.

Emphasising that it is “vitally important that the public do not give children money on the street”, Margi Biggs, chairperson of StreetSmart SA, said: “We are deeply grateful for all the generous support and contributions each and every restaurant that has joined this initiative has made.

“It is because of these restaurants that we as an organisation can embark on making the lives of street children better and help to create a safe place for them to go to.”

Restaurants taking part cover Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Somerset West, Strand, Franschhoek, Paarl and Citrusdal. Among these venues are a number of winery restaurants, including Jordan and Morgenhof in Stellenbosch and Glen Carlou in Paarl.

For more information about the charity’s work and a full list of participating restaurants, visit www.streetsmartsa.org.za .

Gabriel Savage, 10.05.2011