Surplus food from Costco North Lakes is being turned into meals for people experiencing homelessness and financial hardship, with much of the donated meat extending beyond Nourish Street Inc’s own programs to other community meal services.
The North Lakes store has supported Nourish Street for more than a year by donating meat and other food. Meat approaching its use-by date is frozen at the store before being collected by the charity and transferred to its own freezers.
From there, donated meat is sent to licensed kitchens that prepare meals for Nourish Street’s programs.
How Costco North Lakes Donations Travel Further
Nourish Street prepares about 850 meals each week but uses only around 30 per cent of the meat it receives. The remainder is passed to other community groups, including organisations operating soup kitchens and other meal programs.
That redistribution allows food collected from one North Lakes store to continue through a broader community network rather than remaining within a single charity.
A recent donation from Costco North Lakes included a large supply of mince as well as cans for recycling. Nourish Street said the mince would be sent to licensed kitchens preparing meals for people experiencing homelessness.
Additional meals prepared from the donation can be frozen and passed to other charities and community organisations. Nourish Street estimated that the mince donation would ultimately help feed thousands of people across the wider community.
Ongoing Donations Support Weekly Meals
The charity has also acknowledged other bulk meat donations from the store, describing the support as helping keep hundreds of people fed each week while saving usable food from going to waste.
The donations have drawn positive comments from community members, with people thanking Costco North Lakes and recognising both the store’s contribution and Nourish Street’s work.
The cans supplied with the recent mince donation are also being recycled, providing another form of support for the charity.
Nourish Street’s Wider Community Work
Nourish Street began as a self-funded family effort led by Beau Haywood, Jenny Ignacio and Haywood’s sons Kane, Zion and Isaac before developing into a registered charity supported by volunteers.
Its work includes hot meals, groceries, tents and other essential supplies for people sleeping rough. The organisation also works with other frontline groups to share resources and help people in crisis access services and support.
Nourish Street says it assists more than 100 people five days a week across Moreton Bay and Pine Rivers. Its stated service areas also extend to West End and Brisbane CBD.
Published 24-August-2026
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