| Organisation | Acres and Acres |
| Local Government Area | Towong |
| Description | Acres and Acres Food Hub will address barriers to short supply chain, age demographics of farming industry, social isolation, food literacy, access to seasonal and affordable foods and provide opportunities to come together and celebrate community and food. This critical work creates invaluable benefits to producers and consumers and improves economic resilience and health of the community. The aim of this Food Hub is to create a network of market gardens across the Upper Murray and North-East of Victoria. Acres and Acres hope to share knowledge, tools and skills allowing people from all walks of life an opportunity to grow their own business or community income with minimal outlay. |
05 Apr, 2022
Last updated: 08 Mar, 2023
7 Future Healthy Food Hubs investments announced set to revolutionise the way we buy, grow and share food!
We’re on a mission to create healthier communities, right across Victoria. That’s why, we’re thrilled to announce the recipients of our Future Healthy Food Hubs initiative.
We’re investing over $4 million across 7 local organisations, to help communities enjoy locally produced, healthy foods, together. These Food Hubs represent a major investment in VicHealth’s Future Healthy initiative and will help increase access to locally produced and healthy foods in regional and urban fringe communities.
As part of this investment, we're creating paid traineeships for young people in every hub to educate and mobilise their communities and transform our local food systems. Plus, these food hubs will provide increased opportunities for communities to celebrate, showcase and learn about diverse food cultures.
Check out them out below.
7 Future Healthy Food Hubs partners
Acres and Acres Food Hub
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Bendigo Community Food Hub
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A collaboration for food security and sovereignty.
| Organisation | Bendigo Food Share |
| Local Government Area | Greater Bendigo |
| Description | The Bendigo Community Food Hub is an agreed vision with Bendigo Foodshare, City of Greater Bendigo and the Bendigo Farmers’ Market for a new purpose-built facility and food precinct. It will be a vibrant, inclusive, and inspiring community space that brings together producers and customers to sell and purchase locally grown, healthy, ethically produced and culturally appropriate food. This will be done through the farmers’ market, community programs, a commercial kitchen, food gardens and a café. |
Common Ground Project Food Hub
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| Organisation | Common Ground Project |
| Local Government Area | Surf Coast |
| Description | Common Ground Project Food Hub aims to strengthen social connection through food and farming by offering an inclusive space for growing, cooking and ongoing community collaboration. The Food Hub will be an extension of the existing 4-acre site (community farm, farmers’ market and restaurant that promotes food security by creating fair access to locally grown food.) The extension is to build a permanent market stall and community centre for all members of the community. They are also excited to establish long-term partnerships with other vendors and food producers and welcome them as partners in the Food Hub. |
Nourish Sunraysia
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| Organisation | Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council (SMECC) |
| Local Government Area | Mildura |
| Description | This Food Hub aims to nourish Sunraysia’s diverse multicultural community with access to locally grown, culturally appropriate healthy food. To achieve this goal, SMECC will partner with Food Next Door Co-operative (FND), which is committed to nurturing land and nourishing people. Partnering new migrant and refugee farmers with unused farmland, FND trains and supports them, using regenerative farming practices to strengthen resilience in community. The project will facilitate FND to expand their program, educating multicultural communities in farming, growing, and producing foods familiar to them for market. It will also reduce the Food Hub’s reliance on canned and processed food brought in from Melbourne by replacing inputs with locally grown, organic produce from FND. The partnership will foster a true collaboration, including business viability and sustainability skills while ensuring local food security continues well beyond the funding end date. |
Ubuntu Food Hub
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| Organisation | United African Farm |
| Local Government Area | Cardinia |
| Description | Ubuntu Food Hub will infuse culture into agricultural practices to work towards a healthy, harmonious, and empowered community by increase and promote equitable access to fresh, affordable, and culturally appropriate food for all. Existing partnerships with The Community Grocer, HopeWorks Community Solutions, Cardinia Food Movement, CERES, 3000acres, Food Mackies, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and others will provide opportunities to produce, market, and distribute this produce to target communities. |
Urquhart St Community Food Hub
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| Organisation | Centre For Participation |
| Local Government Area | Horsham |
| Description | Urquhart St Community Food Hub is an inclusive and vibrant space providing food programs, where people can sell, buy, and celebrate local, affordable, and culturally desired fruit, vegetables, herbs, grains, and legumes. Located on site, the food hub will provide for the producers and the Wimmera-Southern-Mallee community. Leveraging their deep connections with the multi-cultural community and targeting non-English speaking people and young people living across the region, the food hub will build on their work to change lives and strengthen communities through food. Projects include a social garden, social pantry, Laneway Cafe Without Borders, Migrant Hospitality Pathways Program, Micro-Business Program, retail food outlets, bulk buying groups, a storage facility, food enterprise incubator/co-working space and a community kitchen. |
Whittlesea Food Collective (WFC)
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| Organisation | Whittlesea Community Connections (WCC) |
| Local Government Area | Whittlesea |
| Description | The Whittlesea Food Collective Food Hub will create a more equitable and sustainable food system, by supporting households experiencing financial hardship, strengthening community connections, improving health and wellbeing, and increasing training and employment opportunities through community-based food production and distribution. Opening in April 2023, the Whittlesea Community Farm will provide an opportunity for community food growing and future enterprise projects. The farm will also provide land for young/new migrant growers to establish gardens to supply the market and a stable income for new enterprises growing culturally specific foods, as well as a program of activities at the farm. |
