Sixty-two community groups share $118,700 from Community Grants Funding Program 2018/19

A community foodbank service providing food relief to hundreds of families in need each week is among 62 Maroondah community initiatives to benefit from more than $118,700, thanks to Council’s 2018/19 Community Grants Funding Program.

Each year, Council offers eligible community organisations the opportunity to share in funding made available through its Community Grants Funding Program.

Maroondah Mayor, Councillor Nora Lamont, said the funding would support some wonderful community projects and initiatives, as well as helping to improve facilities and services across the city.

“This year’s recipients come from a broad range of community organisations, with a significant amount of funding being allocated to emergency relief, and programs that support children, youth, seniors, disability groups and our CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) community,” Cr Lamont said.

A ‘Stitch in Time’ project helping women who have experienced family violence, a school and community meals program and an aquatic safety education for youth are among other projects to receive funding support.

Cr Lamont said the Community Grants Funding Program was available to incorporated or auspiced, not-for-profit community groups with limited access to financial resources.

“Council is pleased to be able to assist these groups to develop programs, projects and events for the Maroondah community which might otherwise have taken years of fundraising efforts,” Cr Lamont said.

“The funding will also support some great project and facility upgrades with successful applications including garden projects, play space upgrades and outdated equipment replacements,” she said.

The funding program offers two annual grant schemes:

The Community Development Grants Scheme offers financial assistance to not-for-profit community groups to develop programs, projects and events.

The Small Equipment Grants Scheme is eligible for requests of $500 or less to cover small equipment purchases, printing costs or administration costs to incorporated/not-for-profit support groups.

Funding has been offered to community organisations that show the ability to provide programs that will increase opportunities for community participation in social and leisure activities, enhance community wellbeing, or a service demonstrating a community need within Maroondah.

Hope City Mission (Croydon) is a community organisation that provides a foodbank service for people in the community who struggle with food security issues.

The charity is one of this year’s Community Grants Funding Program beneficiaries, receiving a grant from Council of $3700 for its ‘Seasons of Hope’ community garden project.

Hope City Mission CEO Vanessa Bonica said the funds would go towards planting and maintaining the garden which has been a major contributor in servicing the demand of the Hope City Mission foodbank program.

“These funds will enable us to plant the next round of crops and maintain the garden to ensure we have a constant supply of produce for the foodbank program,” she said.

Until three years ago, the charity relied heavily on corporate food donations to run their foodbank program. That all changed when the organisation approached Melbourne Water with a proposal to construct a community garden on the O’Shannassy Pipe Track located adjacent to their distribution centre in Croydon.

Their vision was to build a ‘Garden of Hope’, whereby fresh produce from the garden could supplement the significant quantity of food given away each week and provide educational programs to teach people how to grow and prepare healthy eating options.

The construction of 84 community garden beds commenced in November 2015, with the first crops sown and harvested soon after. The garden beds were built through a ‘Work for the Dole Program’ which delivered further social outcomes by providing employment for local young people.

From seasonal beetroot, cauliflower, broccoli, Chinese cabbage and bok choy produced over the winter months, to zucchini, cucumber, lettuce, capsicum and eggplant grown over the warmer months – all produce is picked fresh for distribution to families living in Maroondah, Knox and Yarra Ranges.

Ms Bonica said distributing fresh produce straight from HCM’s garden to clients had a huge impact on their dignity, with the recognition that they are worth good quality food.

“For us, it’s about letting our clients know that you are worth more than what they might think,” she said.

The garden also provides a safe and inviting place where those who feel isolated can connect, help to maintain the garden and give back to their community.

Today, Hope City Mission is well on the way towards achieving its aim of becoming self-sustainable by the end of 2019.

Hope City Mission was a recipient in last year’s Community Grants Funding Program funding round, with funds used to purchase soil and seedlings for its Garden of Hope project.