News
13 August, 2025
From gazebo to gourmet
Caboolture-based charity, Eats 4 the Streets (E4TS), will be expanding its meal delivery service beyond Centenary Lakes Park, thanks to a successful Gambling Community Benefit Fund (CBF) grant, combined with generous community and business support.
This comes as E4TS founder, Michael Cox, said they have noticed a big shift in those coming to get meals, with demand continuing to increase and no apparent relief in sight.
The $35,000 awarded through the CBF grant bridged the financial gap from fundraising efforts, allowing E4TS to place the order for a custom-built food truck trailer.
Mr Cox said the new trailer will help overcome the challenges of their current set-up, allowing more food options in more locations and more serving times.
“A food truck was the original goal when we first launched the E4TS program in May 2024,” he said. “The new facility will allow us to expand our services to more locations throughout Moreton Bay, as well as prepare ‘jam pack’ meals in bulk to then distribute through our friends at Caboolture Community Action, Moreton Bay Community Matters, Global Care, the neighbourhood centres in Caboolture and on Bribie, and many more. Our primary goal is not only to support the individuals in need, but also the other amazing local organisations that have been changing lives for many years already.”
Mr Cox added that the “amazing outpouring of generosity” from the local community and businesses allowed them to exceed their financial target and purchase everything all at once, allowing them to hit the ground running once the kitchen is ready.
Currently operating from a labour-intensive and weather-prone gazebo set-up out of Centenary Lakes Park, E4TS runs programs like ‘Friday Night Toasties’ and ‘Lunch at the Lakes,’ feeding up to 250 people per week. Since its launch, the all-volunteer group has served more than 11,500 meals at over 75 events.
“What started as a gazebo, a BBQ, and a handful of chairs is becoming so much more,” Mr Cox said. “Our phenomenal all-volunteer team has dedicated over a thousand man hours talking to people, hearing their stories and connecting them with any help they might need.”
Mr Cox said the past year on the streets had opened his eyes to the depth and complexity of need in the community, noticing a fluctuation in need, and a shift in demographics. He said he has met people facing homelessness for the first time in their lives, families who are housed but struggling to put food on the table, and individuals battling isolation as much as hunger.
“We’ve seen people who used to donate to charities now lining up for meals themselves,” he said. “It’s not always about a lack of work—sometimes it’s illness, rent hikes, or just a few bad turns that push someone over the edge. The need is a lot closer to home than many people realise.”
He noted that not everyone who comes to an E4TS event is looking for a handout—many simply crave human connection. “Some of the biggest smiles we see aren’t about the food at all. It’s about sitting down, talking, and being treated with respect. Everyone deserves dignity, and everyone deserves to be seen, and it is of vital importance that we demonstrate genuine love to our fellow humans no matter what they are going through.”
Mr Cox noted they saw a large uptake in people living in tents throughout last year, then a drop as the new council laws came into effect. “We see many people that live in their cars and park at random places each night to avoid detection, many of these people still work, they’re just unable to obtain a rental with the current market the way it is,” he said. “Our Australian way of life is at the tipping point, the cost of living keeps climbing, the cost of housing is still the main strain on most budgets and there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight.
“I personally believe that a community centric approach is vital to ensuring that our most vulnerable members are not left in the dark, that our elderly aren’t starving and shivering in their own homes, that our youth can one day not have to be concerned with where their next meal is coming from. As a united community we can support each other far greater than any outside agency ever will, we just need to be willing to open our hearts and take the first step.”
The truck is currently being built, with delivery expected by the end of August and a debut event anticipated in mid-September. Meanwhile, E4TS is growing its online resource hub to better connect people and plans to develop a scalable app to further unite community support. https://e4ts.org/
