Collingwood’s Magpie Meals program has today received recognition from the City of Melbourne as a recipient of one of the 2023 Connected Community Grants.  

Magpie Meals received $20,000 to support and grow the program into the new year.

Established in February this year, Magpie Meals is a partnership between the Club and the Meals with Impact social enterprise that seeks to provide employment opportunities for women of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. 

The program employs women to cook culturally appropriate meals for vulnerable communities across Melbourne and is a result of the lockdowns of the public housing estates in 2020 and 2021, which created a requirement for more culturally appropriate food relief for families in these homes.   

Magpie Meals and the Meals with Impact programs provide hundreds of meals per week which are delivered to different local government areas.  

The City of Melbourne’s Connected Community Grants program provides funding of up to $20,000 to local organisations, enabling them to deliver programs and projects which empower communities, increase connection and belonging, and promote equity and inclusion.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said Council is proud to partner with the Club and Meals with Impact to deliver Magpie Meals. 

“Our Connected Community Grants program is in place for projects just like this – ones which deliver impactful and empowering outcomes for our residents and communities.

“We’re proud to support a project which not only provides women with meaningful and fulfilling employment pathways, but is also dedicated to ensuring all Melburnians have access to nutritious, affordable and culturally appropriate food.

“Last year, one in three Melbournians experienced a degree of food insecurity, so we’re eager to work with Collingwood and Meals with Impact to make sure that our most vulnerable are supported.”  

Meals with Impact Co-Founder Harris Ryan thanked the City of Melbourne for their support.  
 
“Today’s funds from the City of Melbourne will greatly assist the operational activity of the Magpie Meals program,” Ryan said.  
 
“We rely on funding to employ more women to produce relevant food support for Melbourne’s culturally diverse communities.”
 
“We thank the City of Melbourne for seeing the value in this program and allowing us to continue this work in 2023.”