Welcome to our April newsletter!
We are excited to acknowledge the D’harawal Season we have now entered, The Time of Marraigang – Bana’marrai’yung. As the weather begins to cool and the days get shorter, we welcome this new season and all it brings.
The last few months have been bustling with activity, from attending foodie tours, crop swaps, and gardening workshops to participating in community events like Foodtalks and collaborating with Sustain, the University of Wollongong and other partners to develop the ‘Vote For Food Scorecard’.
As we look ahead, we acknowledge that the rising cost of living is a pressing concern. This has led to alarming levels of food insecurity in NSW, with Food Bank NSW reporting a staggering 50% increase in requests for food relief in the past year. Additionally, our local independent businesses are facing challenges with increasing transportation, rent, and energy costs, prompting the Flame Tree Community Coop to launch a crowdfunding campaign to keep its doors open.
In these trying times, we must unite and support each other, as our collective efforts can make a significant difference in helping others overcome challenges and thrive.
Read on for our:
- Fair Food Champion
- How to support the Flame Tree Community Coop & Cook Chill Chat
- Fair food field guide: #ShoppingLocal
- Awesome lineup of events, podcasts & reads.
Go gentle, shop local and let’s support each other through this!
D’harawal Season
The time of Marrai’gang – Bana’marrai’yung. Wet, becoming cooler (March / April / May). During this time the raucous cries of the quoll can be heard throughout the bushland as it seeks its mate.
Click here to read the full story
Fair Food Champion
Dean Mastroianni is a passionate Illawarra local who cares about food and sustainability, currently working as the Manager of Thirroul’s Flame Tree Co-op. Currently, the Co-op is in urgent need of help to stay open. Read on to hear about Dean’s work with Flame Tree to sustain the amazing community cooperative and keep it up and running.
Click here to read the full story.
Let’s ‘Vote for Food’ this election
Although the time to vote has now passed, we here at Food Fairness Illawarra want to continue to inform our community on how we can work towards fairer food systems. Read on to learn about where the different parties stand when it comes to food.
Click here to read the full story
Flame Tree has hit a critical point in our operations and won’t survive the year without your help! The good news is they have a plan: with a few small but essential investments, the Coop can solve the short-term cash-flow constraints and implement new systems and practices that will improve the efficiency and sustainability of their operating model. They need your help to make this happen!
Click here to support
‘Cook, Chill, Chat’ needs your help! Following 8 years of bringing diverse communities together to learn about and share healthy food, the ‘Cook Chill Chat’ funding was withdrawn 12 months ago. We are calling on you, our community partners and supporters, to help Healthy Cities save this fantastic program.
Click here to support
Do you know someone who would be a great #FairFoodChampion to be featured in our next newsletter? Our FFC segment is a great way to recognise and celebrate the amazing champions we have in our community, all working towards a fairer food system.
Click here to nominate our next fair food champion
If you own or work for a business that ends up with substantial leftovers at the end of the day or week, there are numerous ways to make donations in the Illawarra. Donating food is a great way to keep food out of landfill.
Click here for our guide to donating food
Our SHOPPING LOCAL Fair Food Field Guide is all about supporting your local community and the environment.
Ordering your fresh produce through a weekly veggie box supports local growers and is a great way to eat seasonally.
Click here for more.
One of most direct ways to support local producers is by purchasing straight from their farm gate.
Click here for more.
Community food co-ops are not-for-profit and run food stores that prioritise local, organic, and minimum-waste shopping.
Click here for more.
Shopping from independent supermarkets is a great way to support your community as are often owned by locals.
Click here for more.
Want more? Head to the Shopping Local section of our Fair Food Field Guide to find:
- Participating in community-supported agriculture
- Avoiding major supermarkets
- Supporting independent local retailers
Our FAIR FOOD EVENTS CALENDAR is filled with exciting opportunities to participate in – from workshops and seminars to markets, community garden days, and more. We’ve listed a few exciting events coming up:
Port Kembla Crop Swap
15th April 2023 | 10:00 am -10:45 am | Port Kembla
Crop swaps are great for building community, reducing food waste, and eating better for less. Every 3rd Saturday of the month, out the front of Port Kembla Community Centre at 10 am for a 10:15 am swap.
Click here for more
Three-Course Balinese Cooking Class
7th May 2023 | 10:00 am – 2:00 pm | Balinese Spice Magic
Join Jules to learn about the Balinese method of cooking delicious traditional vegan meals using freshly sourced local produce.
Click here for more
Green Connect Farm Blitz
13th May 2023 | 9:00 am – 12:00 pm | Green Connect Farm
In 2023, Green Connect are opening their farm to the community for a series of bi-monthly Saturday farm days with a BYO BBQ to follow. Come along to check out your local urban farm, meet the animals and get your hands dirty!
Click here for more
Boost Your Energy Naturally
24th May 2023 | 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm | Thirroul Library
During this insightful talk, clinical nutritionist Daniela Mattiace will share the factors affecting your energy, the impact on your body and mind, and how nutrition plays an integral part in gaining your vitality back
Click here for more
Let’s Make Ramen!
26th May 2023 | 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm | Port Kembla Community Centre
Want to learn how to cook delicious Pork Ramen? Book in with Nina Cantina for a lesson from Manami Hendersen, a local home cook and dietician who is passionate about sharing her culture through food.
Click here for more
Podcasts
Nurturing children’s food enjoyment through gardening and cooking, with Dr. Cathy Wilkinson
Dr. Cathy Wilkinson is the CEO of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, which provides education and professional development for educational institutions to deliver pleasurable food education for Aussie kids. Cathy talks about her passion for delivering positive and pleasurable food experiences to children and the impact that the foundation and program have had.
Click here to listen 🎧
The Food Programme: Secret Supply Lines – Fruit & Veg Under the Radar
Listen in with Sheila Dillon as she delves into the world of fresh produce wholesale markets, an unseen part of the food system that has supplied fruit and veg to grocers, restaurants, and corner stores in recent shortages. Could they be the answer to building a better food system?
Click here to listen 🎧
Reads
Urgent action is needed to change the way food is produced, processed, sold, and consumed.
The current food system is contributing to climate change and malnutrition in all its forms, and we must take urgent action to facilitate change. Read on to hear Professor Karen Charlton discuss this important issue, and how we can achieve a ‘Great Food Transformation’.
Click here to read on
More Australians are seeking food relief as prices rise. How do you access help for the first time?
The rising cost of living is seeing many people seeking out food relief for the first time, which can be quite daunting if you’ve never sought help before. This article talks about food relief, what it is, how you can access it and what to expect.
Click here to read on
| Proudly hosted and governed by Healthy Cities Illawarra since 2005 We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of D’harawal Country where our organisation is located. We pay our deepest respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. While FFI takes every reasonable effort to ensure that the information contained within this newsletter is correct at the time of issue, we recommend that the individual takes care to confirm details, as events especially are subject to last minute changes, and run at the organiser’s discretion. |
| Copyright © 2023 mail@foodfairnessillawarra.org.au, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as you expressed an interest in working together towards a fairer food system. Our mailing address is: mail@foodfairnessillawarra.org.auPO BOX 607FAIRY MEADOW, NSW 2519Australia |
