In the heart of Annerley, the hum of a busy school morning now carries the aroma of toast, fresh fruit, and warm blueberry muffins. It’s more than just breakfast — it’s the sound and scent of a community coming together to make sure no child learns on an empty stomach. This is the story of The Tukka Project, a 2025 Westfield Local Heroes award winner, and its inspiring partnership with Our Lady’s College. Together, they’re proving that when schools, students, and local organisations unite, they can do more than feed bellies — they can fuel futures.
A Breakfast Table With a Bigger Purpose
It started with a simple idea: if children arrive at school hungry, they can’t focus, learn, or reach their potential. So when The Tukka Project and Our Lady’s College launched the OLC Breakfast Club, the goal wasn’t just to serve food — it was to set students up for success. On its first morning, more than 70 students shared toast, fruit, muffins, and turkey salad sandwiches, turning an ordinary Wednesday into something extraordinary.
But this isn’t just about what’s on the table. It’s about what’s being built around it — community, connection, and care.
For the girls of Our Lady’s College, the program is also a hands-on lesson in empathy and action. They are serving meals and learning the value of service, teamwork, and leadership in ways textbooks can’t teach.
A Network of Helping Hands
What makes this initiative powerful is how far its impact reaches beyond the school gates. Over just one term, OLC students helped prepare and deliver around 250 nutritious lunches to local children, many of whom rely on these meals as their main source of nourishment.
Their work even extends to neighbouring schools like Mary Immaculate, where lunch deliveries and baked treats have become a welcome reminder that their community cares.
Behind the scenes, partnerships keep the momentum going. Training Direct Australia has equipped volunteers with vital food safety skills, while support from Brisbane Heat has helped raise awareness and rally the community around the cause. A collaboration with SCIPS, launched in 2024, ensures even more children have access to healthy meals, while also reducing isolation and easing the burden on families doing it tough.
More Than a Meal: A Movement
The Tukka Project’s recognition as a Westfield Local Heroes award recipient is more than a milestone. It’s a sign of what’s possible when people work together. The $20,000 grant it received will help expand its reach, ensuring more children receive the nourishment they need to learn and grow.
But perhaps the most important part of the story is what it says about Annerley itself: a community where schools, organisations, and volunteers don’t wait for change. They create it.
For Darren Playle, who founded The Tukka Project out of his own experience with childhood hunger, the partnership with Our Lady’s College shows what’s possible when young people are empowered to make a difference. And for the students, it’s a lesson that will stay with them long after they leave the classroom — that small actions, like preparing a sandwich or baking a muffin, can ripple outward and change lives.
And this is only the beginning. As The Tukka Project grows, so too will the stories it tells — stories of teamwork, kindness, and community action. For Annerley, it’s proof that when people come together, even the simplest acts can spark lasting change.
