Collingwood Magpies Community Foundation

Magpie Nest Café

A free meal, a moment of comfort and a sense of belonging.

Located in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, the Magpie Nest Café is the first point of call for many people experiencing homelessness.

The Café is run by Project 614 (The Salvation Army) with the support of the Collingwood Football Club Community Foundation, and our major Magpie Nest Cafe partner, Coles.

It serves free breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with wrap-around support services for people from all walks of life.

Collingwood players and staff regularly roll up their sleeves at the Magpie Nest Café, taking on all kinds of volunteer roles.

Each year, the Café provides more than 100,000 meals to those doing it tough - that’s enough to fill the MCG, and demand continues to grow each year.

More than a meal, it provides clothing, shower facilities, a warm space and more.

Much more.

Support the Magpie Nest Café

Wraparound services include:

Showers & Clothing
Free shower facilities, clothing and blankets.

Health & Medical Care
General Practitioner (GP) services, Hearing Australia representatives and optometry services on site.

Specialised Support
NDIS assessments, legal advice, monthly visits from a representative from Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria and emergency housing/crisis assistance.

Addiction & Mental Health
Drug, alcohol and mental health support services.

Community & Arts
Social connection spaces, live music events and peer support.

Find out more on Project 614

Annual Cafe Initiatives

Magpie Nest at the 'G

Each year the Café comes to the MCG, providing 500 of Melbourne’s most vulnerable an afternoon of food, fun and footy.

In 2026, the community united to raise $320,000 through Magpie Nest Week.

We would like to thank our partners – Coles, the Pratt Foundation for matching donations, and to La Trobe Financial, LiveLife Alarms, and Alinta Energy – for helping make the event possible.

In 2026, Magpie Nest Week raised record funds for Melbourne’s vulnerable. Read about it here.

Annual Finals Footy Lunch

We’re proud to host our annual Magpie Nest Footy Finals Lunch alongside Coles, our major partner of the Magpie Nest Café.

The special event brings people experiencing hardship and homelessness together to connect over footy, food, live entertainment and hear from special guests like Jamie Elliott and Oscar Steene.

Events like this help ensure everyone has the chance to feel included.

Christmas Gifting and Christmas Day

For some, Christmas can feel like the loneliest time of the year.

Each year on Christmas Day, we host 600+ guests from the Magpie Nest Café at the Glasshouse to connect and experience season’s festivities with delicious food and gift-giving. It's one of the biggest events in the City of Melbourne on the day, and our annual Christmas Day lunch has been running for over 30 years.