BALLARAT Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Network is collecting donations of fresh fruit and vegetables at the Ballarat Welcome Centre to give to families in need.<\/p>\n
The drop-off depot is open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11am to 12pm at the back of the old Ballarat East Library building on Barkly Street.<\/p>\n
Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council\u2019s executive officer, Ann Foley said the initiative started as a COVID response, supplementing the non-perishables in the City of Ballarat\u2019s community pantry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re supplying fresh food to the multicultural community, especially people living on the edge with financial hardship,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuite a few members lost jobs and have large families with high food costs. These costs were even higher during tighter restrictions when people were staying home and schools were closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough our members and Refugee Network, we\u2019ve identified 30 households who are being supported that we\u2019re in touch with through our programs and services, and we put out an invitation for community donations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Running for almost seven weeks, fresh food has come in from the public, sourced from home and community gardens, and from local suppliers and retailers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a hugely bountiful time for veggie gardens, but we\u2019re getting donations from people\u2019s winter harvests, like pumpkins and silver beet,\u201d Ms Foley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been delivering a good, big, family-sized box to about seven or eight households each Monday and Tuesday over the last three or four weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
With State government emergency relief money, and further funds for a more sustainable project, the initiative is set to flourish into something more long term.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re starting conversations, looking to develop this into a vegetable growing project called Thrive, giving people the opportunity to produce food in community gardens, and we\u2019ve had offers from partners about doing that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll continue the depot here because we\u2019re confident it\u2019s giving fresh fruit and vegetables to households who otherwise wouldn\u2019t have them,\u201d Ms Foley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been very popular, there\u2019s been a real enthusiasm, and some of the fruits and vegetables we\u2019re delivering are new to families, so there\u2019s sharing of knowledge as they learn the nutrition of particular ingredients and how to cook them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BALLARAT Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Network is collecting donations of fresh fruit and vegetables at the Ballarat Welcome Centre to give to families in need. The drop-off depot is open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11am to 12pm at the back of the old Ballarat East Library building on Barkly Street. Ballarat Regional Multicultural […]<\/p>\n