On Monday 26 April 2021 Coles, the Collingwood Football Club and the Salvation Army Project 614 Team are hosting a special event to celebrate the re-opening of the indoor service at the Magpie Nest Café.
The cafe will reopen its doors again to indoor service for the first time in over a year. Breakfast and lunch services will resume between 9.00am to 2.00pm with 500 people expected to attend.
Coles, together with Collingwood will be providing gift bags, food and celebration activities with announcements at 12.30pm. Lord Mayor Sally Capp will also be attending.
The Magpie Nest Café has continued to operate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, providing thousands of take away meals and health services to people who are homeless and disadvantaged.
Major Brendan Nottle from the Salvation Army Project 614 team said, “The cafe plays a vital role in the city providing a safe place where people can find practical help and access to support services. Many of the people we see are isolated and vulnerable and often in crisis. The café shows people that there is a pathway out of homelessness.”
During the pandemic, the cafe continued to provide take away meals to Melbourne’s homeless. Thousands of meals were provided through the support of Coles, SecondBite and the Parliament House Kitchens.
Coles General Manager Corporate Affairs Sally Fielke said “Coles proudly supports Collingwood’s Magpie Nest Program and the café as part of our commitment to help Australians lead healthier, happier lives. The program is making a genuine difference to the lives of people who are homeless and in urgent need of support. The re-opening of the café today – after more than a year – is a welcome relief for many people across Melbourne who continue to face tough times.”
The Magpie Nest Café will provide over 4,000 free meals each week and access to a range of support services.
Collingwood President Mark Korda said,” We are proud to partner with Coles, the Salvation Army Project 614 team and the City of Melbourne to help those in need. Magpie Nest has been operating for over ten years and provides vital support to the most vulnerable people in our society. People who deserve our respect. The cafe provides a safe haven for people doing it tough, a place where people are valued and welcomed.”
The cost of homelessness to the Melbourne community is significant through the direct and indirect mental health, addiction, justice, child protection, hospital and police services.
Magpie Nest operates through a partnership between the Collingwood Football Club and the Salvation Army Project 614 Team with the generous support of Coles, the City of Melbourne and the State Government.
Salvation Army Project 614 caseworkers provide wrap-around support including links to mental health, drug and alcohol addiction and legal services, along with accommodation and employment/training assistance.
The program targets the most vulnerable people in our community, those sleeping rough, living in unsafe rooming houses or couch surfing.
Magpie Nest currently operates 50 houses around Melbourne providing safe affordable accommodation and wrap around case management services. The program also includes a specific service for women who become homeless, many of whom are the victims of domestic violence.
