Reaping the fruits of labour

By Lachlan Ellis

Students at two local schools will soon be enjoying fresh nectarines, apples, pears, peaches, and various citrus fruits straight from their own trees, thanks to donations from the community.

Last December, Bacchus Up to Pay it Forward (BUTPIF), a local charity that provides food vouchers to those in need through donations, provided 30 fruit trees to Bacchus Marsh Primary School and Darley Primary School to ease the financial burden on residents doing it tough.

Judy D’Attoma runs BUTPIF and said the fruit tree donation wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of the Bacchus Marsh community.

“Congratulations Bacchus Marsh, this is because of each and every one of you who generously donate to this program. This is literally the fruits of your efforts,” Ms D’Attoma told the Moorabool News.

“This will assist in the coming years with providing fruit for school children who often go to school without food, and help parents and guardians who are unable to afford to fill lunch boxes with healthy snacks. It also teaches the kids about self-sustainability, how to nurture and fertilise to reap the best rewards from nature. Children also learn that food doesn’t come from supermarkets, but from the earth.”

Ms D’Attoma thanked Rachel from Yo Barber for offering her Kombi to use during the planting day, the Bacchus Marsh Community Bank Branch for sponsoring BUTPIF, and the Bacchus Marsh Seedling Farm Nursery & Café for providing the fruit trees at cost price.

Bacchus Up to Pay it Forward have distributed over 2,000 meal vouchers in three years, and also collect food donations at Darley IGA, which has been a constant supporter of the program.

The food donations are given to Soul Food for distribution, where weekly lunches are provided to those in need every Wednesday.

For more information on BUTPIF and the work it does for those in need, visit www.butpif.org.au.