Mary Mags Dinners History

Mary Mags Dinners is a diverse group of people committed to exploring and working for social justice in Adelaide.

Mary Mags Dinners traces its roots back to an Anglican Youth Conference in 1989. From this conference our first volunteers emerged with a desire to do something pro-active about social justice in Adelaide. From the outset we strove to follow the example of Jesus by identifying with the poor, the sick and the outcast, strengthening their spirits and self esteem and confronting the long term cycle of loneliness that they can suffer.

It all started with sandwiches in Hurtle Square in 1989. Two years later, in 1991, the meal moved down the road to St Mary Magdalene Church.

Since the start, the mission has always stayed the same, to be a place of peace and community over a meal on Saturday nights.

Mary Mags Dinners is only made possible through the efforts of many volunteers from churches, schools, law firms and other community groups who generously donate their time, money and labour to provide a meal for our guests on a Saturday night.

St Mary Magdalene Church
Mission Hall

In 1912, the Mission Hall was built by St Peter's Boys College. The Mission provided general welfare and relief to people in need throughout the city. It also provided a free day school kindergarten with free meals for the poor children