“More people living in cars than ever”: The national barbecue food drive offering a warm meal to vulnerable locals

Before most of Hamilton had stirred on a freezing June morning, Dave Meadows was already tending the charcoal. Soon after, the smoke from his barbecue drew more than 100 people to the Salvation Army centre for a free meal.

What happened: Meadows, his wife Cara and daughters Charlotte and Sofia brought their Smoke & Soul national food drive to the Salvation Army church on Kennedy Street on June 18, serving free slow-cooked pulled pork rolls to local residents in need.

• The family is travelling Australia with custom-built barbecue trailers, partnering with charities to provide meals while raising awareness of homelessness and food insecurity.

Local impact: Meadows said Hamilton left a lasting impression on the family.

🗣️ “That was a day we'll never, ever forget,” he said.“They told us the same thing we were hearing from other local charities - that the numbers of people needing a hand had doubled in the past two years, with more people living in cars than ever”.

• He told the Brolga while some of the locals who came to the barbecue were experiencing homelessness or housing stress, others were “just not able to make ends meet”.

🗣️ “The demographic in Hamilton was people that are a bit older and who are on the pension, so not necessarily homeless, but the pension is just not paying them enough to live, once they pay their bills, they just can't afford to eat,” he said.

Helping hand: Hamilton Salvation Army helped prepare rolls, organise the crowd and pack takeaway meals for people unable to attend.

🗣️ “The volunteers at the Hamilton Salvo’s were absolutely incredible. Everyone was just so friendly and so enthusiastic,” he said.

Homelessness in Southern Grampians: According to the Barwon South West Homelessness Network, 311 people received support for homelessness in the Southern Grampians Shire in the 2024-25 financial year. 

• 188 households were on the Victorian Housing Register’s priority access housing waitlist.

The background: Smoke & Soul grew from Meadows' experience volunteering with charity meal services in Adelaide, where he saw firsthand the impact a hot meal could have on people experiencing homelessness.

🗣️ “We did a big feed on this freezing cold night. I mean really cold - we were all rugged up, everyone was in hats and coats and after the service a guy came up to me to have a word,” he said.

“The people we were working with were able to kit him out with shoes, clothes, pants, a jacket, anything we could do. I remember thinking that this problem, homelessness, people living so close to the line, it’s not going away.”

National food drive: The Hamilton barbecue was the second stop on the family's national tour after Adelaide, with the group aiming to host a community barbecue every three days as they continue travelling around Australia.