A second chance

The leader article in Caterer (May 5) was right about one thing - Dine-a-Mite was guilty of over-promising in 1993, because we thought we could raise significantly more money than we did. But while we accept criticism about the lack of publicity we achieved nationally for the event, the reason why we raised less money than expected was because we did not get the industry support which we had hoped for.

However much we raised, our operating costs would have stayed the same, so had we achieved more support the percentage of funds spent on administration and fund-raising would have been lower. This year we know we can raise well in excess of £1m if we get the support of the industry. Our operating and fund-raising costs will remain around £250,000.

The issue of operating and setting-up costs for charities is controversial and emotive. It is widely accepted that charities must be more business-oriented in their fund-raising in these days of charity fatigue. But people still balk at the idea that money they have raised may be used to pay for administration costs, marketing initiatives or even for salaries. The reality is that these costs are necessary to fund-raising activity.

In 1993, Dine-a-Mite's costs had to cover the setting-up of the trust, plus two years' operating costs - as we had to ensure we had money to run the first year's campaign and reserves for the second year. We started from nothing and our setting-up costs were therefore substantial. Despite this we are still donating £100,000 to projects helping the homeless and hungry.

One of the first projects to benefit from last year's fund-raising was the Bristol Soup Run Trust which operates a daily service.

Before our donation, volunteers went out every night until 1am in the morning, giving out coffee, soup and sandwiches to homeless people on the streets. Although their work has been highly praised, it was carried out in very difficult conditions - they had no light and if it rained the helpers got wet, but more importantly they had no security protection.

Thanks to the hospitality industry, however, conditions for the volunteers have now improved dramatically, and so has the service. In May, the Bristol Soup Run took delivery of a special catering trailer with a generator. This will provide light for the volunteers and enable them to cook nutritious foods in an industrial microwave.

The trailer itself will provide a focal point for Bristol's homeless, enabling the soup runto provide leaflets containing advice about healthcare and gaining accommodation. Thecity council has already given the soup run a site in the centre of town.

In Manchester, homeless people will now be given breakfast on a Sunday morning, thanks to Dine-a-Mite. Sunday mornings are the worst time of the week for those sleeping rough on city streets - cafés and libraries are closed and the city centre is generally a miserable and lonely place to be.

With greater support, 1994 will be a significant improvement. The industry is capable of raising enormous funds for charity - I believe that a figure of £2m is perfectly achievable. If we did raise in excess of £2m, our costs would be only around 10% or 15% of our fund-raising total. However, based on our experience last year, we cannot hope for too much. Therefore, we aim to raise £1m, out of which we will donate £600,000, bringing costs down to around 30%, while retaining 10% as a reserve. This will bring us more in line with other homeless charities.

This is make-or-break year for Dine-a-Mite. Surely the exercise deserves a second chance? As a worthy cause, it must be helping to demonstrate that our industry cares and takes its social responsibility seriously. We have looked hard at last year's campaign, we have recognised our weaknesses and we have significantly strengthened them.

The situation is not all negative. The response to Dine-a-Mite 1994 is already very encouraging, with several of the UK's largest hotel, restaurant and catering chains pledging to support us, including Mount Charlotte Thistle, Gardner Merchant, Hilton and Inter-Continental.

This commitment does not come only from the industry leaders, but from independent restaurateurs who have begun their fund-raising early in order to make their own contributions. The Mariauxs, whose Tummies Restaurant in Slough was a great supporter of Dine-a-Mite in 1993, have developed a scheme to give 20p for every plate donated to their new restaurant, Spaggo's, by the residents of Slough.

With the support of these and other members of the industry we know the enterprise can be successful. I hope we can look forward to the support of Caterer - and its readers. o