Who are we.
The Lunch Project Foundation exists to ensure no Gold Coast child attends school hungry. We're a registered Australian charity — independent, accountable, and 100% focused on lunches.
Feeding Gold Coast school kids, one lunch at a time.
The Lunch Project Foundation, together with our social enterprise arm The Lunch Project Café & Catering, is dedicated to helping address food insecurity on the Gold Coast. Our focus is practical: making sure more children can come to school with a lunch, and reducing the pressure on parents who are already skipping meals so their kids can eat.
Based on the Gold Coast, The Lunch Project Foundation works with local state schools, community liaison officers from Queensland Police and other community partners to provide fresh, healthy lunches to children who might otherwise go without.
How we began
We launched The Lunch Project in 2023 as a social enterprise delivering affordable, nutritious school lunches to children in need, powered by our community café and catering business. The program has already reached multiple schools and thousands of lunches, demonstrating real promise as a scalable model for supporting school food on the Gold Coast.
Now, as we expand to serve more children and families, we are formalising this work through The Lunch Project Foundation and developing a funding model that combines social enterprise income with philanthropy. We are actively seeking fundraising support to build on this strong foundation for long-term success.
Our mission
Our work is built on a simple belief: no child should go to school hungry.
We deliver healthy, affordable school meals made from local, seasonal produce, so children receive the nourishment they need to focus, participate and reach their full potential. Every lunch we provide is designed by chefs to be nutritious, balanced and something a child would be proud to open.
Why our work matters
Food insecurity is affecting more families and children across Australia. Foodbank's 2025 Hunger Report shows that one in three Australian households — around 3.5 million — experienced food insecurity in the past year, while 20% of households were severely food insecure, skipping meals or whole days of eating.
In Queensland, Foodbank reports that around 22% of people experiencing hunger are children, with many going to school without breakfast or lunch.
At the same time, school-lunch charities such as Eat Up report that at some supported schools, up to one in three students rely on free lunches to get through the school day.
These numbers reflect what schools and families are seeing every day: when household budgets are stretched, lunchboxes are often one of the first things to be affected. Our work exists to respond to that need in a practical, local and immediate way.
Our social enterprise model
The Lunch Project Café & Catering operates as a social enterprise partner to the Foundation. Every $25 spent in the café or on catering helps fund one school lunch for a local child in need, turning everyday coffee runs and workplace events into direct support for Gold Coast school communities.
By combining this trading income with grants, donations and corporate sponsorship, The Lunch Project Foundation is building a more sustainable way to support school lunches over the long term, rather than relying solely on traditional funding cycles.
#be the difference in the lives of children, one lunch at a time.
Three things we believe in, every single day.
Empowering hearts
Good food transforms lives. It's not just about filling empty stomachs — it's about enriching lives, fostering well-being and igniting confidence in every child we serve.
Nourishing bodies
Every lunch is freshly made — a real meal a child looks forward to. No leftovers, no afterthoughts, no compromise.
Community commitment
We're deeply rooted in the Gold Coast. Our promise is simple: keep showing up, keep feeding kids, and keep supporting the people we serve.
Registered, accountable, transparent.
The Lunch Project Foundation is a registered Australian charity. 100% of every dollar donated goes toward sourcing, preparing and delivering lunches to children at our partner schools. We publish ongoing impact numbers and welcome questions any time.
Stand with us.
Donate a lunch, sponsor a school, or volunteer your time. Pick the one that fits.