Christmas came early for Logan families as Warm Hearts Warm Bellies Street Ministry hosted a free food drop on 23 November, offering much-needed relief to locals.
Over 1000 residents streamed through the gates of Browns Plains Kids Early Learning Centre, collecting bags of produce, meat, and essential household items.
The event, organised by Warm Hearts Warm Bellies founder Pete Underwood, exceeded expectations, feeding 639 families and providing enough groceries to last a week.
“Our first big food drops was a couple of years ago and we had around 200 people come through and we thought that was massive,” she said.
“This year we passed our goal of how many people we wanted to feed by quite alot, which was fantastic.”
Preparation for the event was no small feat, with Pete and her team working 12-hour days leading up to Saturday.
The result was a bustling, vibrant day that united the community.
“People started turning up at 12 o’clock while we were still setting up—it was surreal,” Pete said.
“The streets were packed with people.”
The atmosphere was one of joy and gratitude, where families enjoyed face painting, snow cones and live music as volunteers handed out food donated by major sponsors Food Bank, Ozharvest and SecondBite.
Feedback flooded in via social media, with many expressing heartfelt thanks.
“We had a few families reach out thanking us which is really heart-warming,” Ms Underwood said.
“We also had around 15 families show up a day late for the food drop, which we were able to help out as well.”
Pete doesn’t want to stop here, with a determination to help more people next year.
“It’s a great feeling to know we’ve helped people,” she said.
“I can’t wait for the next one to see how much bigger we can grow and how many more lives we can touch.”
Warm Hearts Warm Bellies community pantry is open 24/7 at the Browns Plains Kids Early Learning Centre and every Friday from 2pm is free food Fridays where residents can grab meat, produce and cold goods.
