For the past 15 years the Growing Abundance project has been bringing people in Mount Alexander Shire together.
It has created a viable local food system by harvesting fruit from backyard trees and sharing the produce between volunteers and the community.
After much consideration about the future of the program, the Growing Abundance committee is now partnering with Castlemaine Community House, to ensure the future sustainability of the harvest program.
The team at Growing Abundance feels there is alignment with CCH and its food and sustainability programs such as; zero waste cooking and preserving workshops, the Community Garden, Community Lunch and Foodlinks.
Chairperson of the Growing Abundance committee of management, Grace Nicol, said committee members were thrilled with the partnership, which would mean much of the governance and organisational support would be cared for by CCH.
“This then enables our incredible volunteer base to continue to help harvest and other programs to thrive,” she said.
CCH executive officer, Mahira Sobral, said CCH was honoured to be approached to support the delivery of harvest and the broader Growing Abundance programs, as part of its sustainability programming.
“We acknowledge how cherished and important this organisation has been to so many community members who have contributed and participated over the years,” she said.
CCH will have a working group in place to support the transition and future program delivery of Growing Abundance.
The working group will consist of a core group of volunteers who will meet monthly to identify funding opportunities, partnerships, support promotion and program delivery.
Growing Abundance harvest coordinator Thea Lang, who took on the role earlier this year, said the group had had some big harvests recently, with a lot of the excess going to Bendigo Foodshare, the Salvation Army, or fridges at community houses in the region.
“I’m really passionate about food systems and the power of people at a community level to foster resilience through systems, sharing of knowledge and skills and increase food security,” she said.
Anyone interested in joining the working group or volunteering with the project can email hello@growingabundance.org.au.
This year’s AGM for the Growing Abundance Project will be held on Tuesday November 12 at 6pm at CCH. Head to the Growing Abundance website for AGM documentation: www.growingabundance.org.au/news
