27 Organisations will share $1 million in food security grants to help combat food insecurity and the rising cost of living. Launched late last year, the food security grants aim to support South Australian communities to move out of food insecurity through projects that align with the South Australian Food Relief Charter and the Nutrition Guidelines for the Food Relief Sector in South Australia.

The Food Centre a welcome recipient

One of the recipients is The Food Centre at Gepps Cross, which uses a social supermarket model. It is open to all, regardless of income, and connects people to other supports like financial counselling and no-interest loans that increase household financial sustainability.

The Food Centre will receive $42,390 funding to provide culturally appropriate cooking and gardening workshops and EasyFeast Meal Packs to Aboriginal people in north-western Adelaide.

Called NourishedED, the project aims promote healthy eating among Aboriginal Community Connect housing residents through distribution of EasyFeast Meal Packs, along with cooking workshops, nutrition education and budgeting skills.

‘Grocer with a Heart’ can now expand

Another worthy recipient is the ‘Grocer with a Heart’ community grocery which forms part of the Brighton Church of Christ Community Care’s food security program.

This grocery provides a variety of free and low-cost food essentials, while the program provides initial immediate food relief and food vouchers, and importantly assists clients to move from receiving emergency relief to being self-sufficient and cooking their own low-cost, nutritious meals.

The Brighton program has received $50,000 funding for installation of a commercial kitchen, display freezer and refrigerator cool rooms, and food and nutrition training.

This expansion will allow Brighton Church of Christ Community Care to extend its food education workshops for clients, allow its dedicated volunteers to prepare more meals for clients using food donated by food partners, and increase storage available for those meals.

Other organisations receiving funding:

• Dunjiba Community Council - $49,866 to establish a Community Food Hub for the Far North Community of Oodnadatta.
• Adelaide Day Centre for Homeless Persons - $49,270 for Happy, Homed and Healthy, to provide a healthy food education program for clients at the Adelaide Day Centre.
• Multicultural Youth SA - $50,000 for Flavours of Hope, to provide weekly cooking classes focussed on healthy cultural meals on a budget.
• St Johns Youth Services - $49,698 for Young Chefs Project, to provide resources for the Young Chefs community food education program.
• Pooraka Farm Community Centre - $26,012 for Life Learning Through Food, to provide an education program on cooking and growing healthy and affordable food at the Pooraka Farm Community Centre.
• Bungala Aboriginal Corporation - $50,000 to address food insecurity in the state’s Far North, including for the purchase of an industrial oven to increase meal production.

Find the full list of successful applicants on our Grants pages.