Craig Schepis - On Track Foundation 20/7/2023 Gallery

This week we got to see and hear from Founder and Chairman of On Track Foundation, Craig Schepis, the charity responsible for the Soup Bus. According to Craig, it all started in 2002 when he came across a homeless man in Ballarat. Fast forward to 2009 and the Soup Bus was launched after it was discovered there was no after dark support for the homeless and the most vulnerable in Ballarat. In the first year the Soup Bus assisted approximately 5000 people and in the last 12 months it has grown to some 12,000 people. The Soup Bus which is in its 15th year of operation this year operates most nights of the week, with the exception of Friday and Saturday nights. Their clientele which can reach up to 65 people each night avoid coming out on Friday and Saturday nights for fear of being targeted by late night revelers. The Soup Bus is one of two arms of the On Track Foundation, the other being the Education Scholarship fund which was launched in 2010. Currently, the scholarship program is fully funding five high needs children at about $8,500 per student per year. The On Track Foundation consist solely of a voluntary board and operates without any compensation to its members. So, 100 percent of the money raised goes back into the running of the Soup Bus and the Education Scholarships. Thus far, the foundation has had eight graduates under its program and coming up this year will be number nine. To paint a picture of what a difference this makes, the foundation's pioneer student is now teaching English in Japan. The hope Craig has is that potentially, one day those students supported by the foundation will pay it forward by assisting other people in need. The foundation is looking at running another soup bus in Sebastopol and a soup kitchen in Wendouree. With expansion plans in the pipelines, it's always on the lookout for volunteers. If you would like to help by signing up as a volunteer or make donations, visit their website: http://ontrackfoundation.org.au