The Give Where You Live Foundation’s community farm, The Paddock, is celebrating a new partnership with Feed Me to help grow food security in the region.
The Give Where You Live Foundation owns and manages The Paddock, a 7 acre community farm in Leopold which supports food production, learning and inclusive skills & employment pathways.
Food production is a central pillar of The Paddock Community Farm’s model, enabling the Give Where You Live Foundation to further support the regional food relief system with locally grown produce as well as creating inclusive participation and employment pathways for people facing barriers to work.
As part of the Give Where You Live Foundation’s plan to expand community led food production, the Foundation is pleased to welcome one of its long-term community grant funding partner organisations, Feed Me as its key farming partner. Bringing its deep experience in food rescue, community nourishment and inclusive engagement, Feed Me is now working to partner at The Paddock to continue their mission of turning excess into impact.
Give Where You Live Foundation CEO, Zac Lewis said the Foundation was delighted to be partnering with Feed Me to strengthen food security in the region.
“We are so pleased to be entering into this new partnership with Feed Me to ensure they can keep showing up for the people who need them most, especially at a time when rising fuel costs are weighing heavily on so many households in our community. This innovative partnership is just another way the Foundation is working to help strengthen local food security, enhance social inclusion, and deliver measurable community impact for a fairer Geelong community into the future.”
Over recent months, The Paddock Crew have transformed 1,600 square metres of land into a productive, community driven farming space. Feed Me will farm the four 400 square metre garden beds, producing 4,000 kg of fresh, nutritious produce which will be cooked into 20,000 meals for vulnerable households across the Bellarine and Greater Geelong regions.
Lana Purcell, Founder and CEO of Feed Me said they were pleased to be trying new ways of feeding those in need in our community.
“Right now the demand for food relief is rising faster than we’ve ever seen. With increasing cost of living pressures, food shortages and uncertainty around supply, our program is under real pressure and we needed to act.”
“This partnership with the Give Where You Live Foundation means every kilo of food we grow is food we can put directly back into our community, supporting families who are already doing it tough. Growing our own produce is a big step for Feed Me and one that could make a real difference to the thousands of meals we provide each week.”