How good is this! SumoSalad has teamed up with Vinnies this winter, to provide hot meals to the homeless across Australia.

So here are the statistics. On any given night, 1 in 200 Australians are homeless. That’s around 105,237 people on the streets, every night. Of these, 56% are male and 44% are female. The most worrying statistic however, is that 1 in 37 Aussie children under the age of four will spend at least one night in a homeless shelter; these children are most likely accompanying a woman escaping from domestic violence.

These are all issues that the St Vincent De Paul Society deals with on a daily basis, so it’s great to see them getting support from SumoSalad – a national brand that promotes healthy lifestyles and community inclusion.

The SumoSalad/Vinnies Heat Up The Street campaign encourages customers to buy a $2 Soup Slammer and donate $2 to allow a homeless person to buy a soup in store. It’s a similar concept to ‘suspended coffees‘ – the idea of paying it forward to someone who can’t afford to buy one for themselves. In January this year a local pizza shop in Philadelphia USA made global headlines for doing just that – inviting the local community to pay it forward. It made a huge impact around the world, and no doubt has had something to do with SumoSalad’s recent campaign.

This can only mean good news for the light and healthy salad chain, which has now attached a serious community engagement message to its branding. Not only has it donated money to the Vinnie’s cause, it is raising awareness for the Vinnies Winter Appeal, and it is offering support in kind; donating product and the time of various staff members to work with Vinnies on the streets to support those less fortunate.

So make sure you get to a SumoSalad near you and grab a cup of soup, and you’ll be helping out someone who really needs it!