Farmhands required

By Carol Saffer

Gordon Farmgate is all about the local community, run by volunteers.

Locals work to create a resilient, local food economy that unites local producers with loyal customers in Gordon and surrounds.

Many hands make light work, and the group is currently looking for more hands on deck.

Grace Hilton-Harvey, Farmgate president, said they are looking for people to become actively involved.

“Volunteers need to be able to commit to donating time on a regular basis,” she said.

“It might be donating one hour a fortnight to help clean the shop.

“Or it might be someone with tech skills who can update the prices on our system every week as the produce regularly changes.”

The role of Treasurer is currently vacant, so for anyone good with the books, this could be an opportunity to help support the local community.

Ms Hilton-Harvey said they are also looking for a person with graphic design experience to create a flyer for distribution in the area.

“We want to let people know we are here and what we have to offer,” she said.

“Instead of heading to Ballan or Ballarat, we want to encourage our neighbours to shop local.”

With Liz, their new Produce Coordinator, onboard sourcing heaps of fresh produce and increasing the product range of shelf food, there are constantly new items to tempt the taste buds, such as meat, vegetables, fruit, preserves, nuts and eggs.

Farmgate wants to help farmers and producers within a 100km radius (excluding metro Melbourne) sell their products directly to the public from the beautiful, repurposed chapel building on the main street.

Having a grant writer expert on the Farmgate committee constantly allows the group to seek funding. They currently have a grant application with Moorabool Wind Farm, and if successful, it will pay for materials to create a coffee cart that a local chippy is happy to build.

“This means we will be able to offer freshly made coffee to our shoppers each Saturday morning, and we have plans to [hopefully] provide toasties and hot food as well,” Ms Hilton-Harvey said.

To join Gordon Farmgate as a volunteer call Grace on 0402 827 274.

The shop is located in Main Street Gordon, opposite the post office, and is open for business every Saturday from 9am-12pm.