For the second year in a row Edinburgh’s Vittoria Group are supporting Sleep in the Park organised by charity Social Bite by serving up pizza and donating all the proceeds to the fundraiser.
Vittoria will also donate over 100 pizzas to those living in temporary accommodation, hostels and emergency housing in Edinburgh.
In addition the pizza company has also agreed to provide meals for those affected by homelessness using Social Bite’s Pay it Forward campaign. There will be small table cards in each of Vittoria’s restaurants asking their customers to help this Christmas.
This year the Sleep in the Park event hopes to attract 12,000 participants who will brave the cold and sleep on the ground for one night. Already £900,000 has been raised and more than 6,000 people have signed up.
The organisers hope to raise more than £4 million which they will use to transform lives and end homelessness in Scotland.
The charity have a Housing First initiative which aims to help 800 people who are currently homeless get mainstream housing with all the support they need.
Funds from the sleep outs this year will support two programmes to prevent homelessness when people leave care and prison.
Vittoria Group has several Italian restaurants in town : Taste of Italy, Vittoria on the Walk, Vittoria on the Bridge, La Favorita, Divino and Bertie’s which will open on 3 December 2018.
Tony Crolla, Chairman of Vittoria Group added: “Social bite is doing a superb job at highlighting an issue that we all must take responsibility for to live together in a civilised society. Josh and his team need help from government policies on employment, education and mental health and others, which result often in homelessness as its outcome. We are delighted to be supporting “Sleep In The Park” for a second year. It’s a really great charity and we are delighted to be on board again.”
Josh Littlejohn MBE, co-founder of Social Bite, said: “I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Vittoria Group for their generosity and support with Sleep in the Park for a second year running. It’s a pleasure to have them on board once again and I am sure they will help to raise a significant sum to add to this year’s total”
Sleep in the Park on 8 December 2018 takes place in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh as well as three other sleep outs across Scotland in Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow.
To find out more and to register for your nearest Sleep in the Park event visit www.sleepinthepark.co.uk.
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