Abacus project aims to pay it forward to help community
COUNTRY Comforts Café is the first Sunshine Coast Hinterland business to join the newly created Abacus Project, aiming to pay it forward for homeless people who are struggling.
Owner, Angie Malin, first heard about the project on a local radio station on her way to work, and within 24 hours contacted the founder, Edith Cragg, to join the Sunshine Coast found initiative.
The project’s aim is for people who can afford it, to cover the cost of a coffee, tea, juice, cake, pie or sausage roll, for someone else who is doing it tough.
Those who pay it forward then move the corresponding abacus over, to show the number of credits available for each item.
People who can claim something from the Abacus Project can be someone who is homeless, in between jobs, couch surfing, or even old aged pensioners.
“The project is not just about homeless people… it can be for anyone who is doing it tough, someone who may just need that little bit of help along,” she said.
“That’s what it’s all about, just helping out our community.”
For those who do want to claim something from the cafe, they will have a codeword, which the cafe will spread to community centres and information centres, for people doing it tough to use.
“We will create a phrase which we will circulate around the community for people to use to claim something from the Abacus Project,” she said.
“It saves their dignity to stop them from having to beg for something.”
According to the Sunshine Coast Council’s website, there are over 122,000 Australians who are homeless, including 1205 people on the Sunshine Coast.
Main causes for homelessness includes, “a lack of social and affordable housing, low rental vacancy rate, unaffordable rents, domestic and family violence, financial stress, physical health, mental health and addiction.”
After a week of having the abacus at the cafe, she has already had people join the cause.
“We have already had about 20 people pay it forward and we have had one person claim something for a lady that I knew who was struggling,” she said.
“I told her that someone has paid for her to have a coffee today and she was delighted, she was so happy.”
Angie highlighted the significance of similar initiatives on the Sunshine Coast, especially in light of the cost of living and rental crisis.
“It’s so important to have projects like this, we need to help out our own, its just sad to see people struggling,” she said.
“It’s like putting the boot on the other foot, if you are the one doing it tough and to feel that caring side of human nature, because you don’t see a lot that anymore.
“I think there’s quite a few people in this area who need it, it’s just something small we can do to help someone out, and it shows someone cares.”
The Country Comforts Cafe owner also praised what great work the founder, Edith, has done in the short amount of time that the Abacus Project has been running.
“When I met with her, she was very passionate about it she was just really wanting to help out,” she said.
“She had seen so many homeless people, women and children sleeping in cars, especially up Coolum way, lots of homeless people sleeping in the dunes and that sort of thing.
“So she came up with a way to help people doing it tough, even if it’s just a free cup of coffee for the day.”
The Abacus Project was started on July 24 this year, and since its inception, there have been 11 cafes jump on board.
Locations where the Abacus Project is set up includes Caloundra, Mudjimba, Coolum, Peregian, Noosaville, Tewantin and Noosa Marina.
Main image: Rhonda Edwards with Angie Malin from Country Comforts Cafe
