Announced by state Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes, the grants aim to support local organisations and neighbourhood houses by offering up to $50,000 for individual projects and up to $75,000 for partnership initiatives.
“These grants will deliver much-needed food relief to those who need it, and provide a helping hand for Victorians in need so they can get back on their feet,” Ms Symes said.
“We know our wonderful community organisations have the local knowledge and connections to best understand and respond to local needs, and to provide food relief where it’s needed most.”
These funds will assist in distributing fresh produce and essential pantry items to individuals and families facing economic pressures.
The program, designed to meet the rising demand for food relief, includes local grants— unveiled on January 7 — and co-ordination grants, which were announced last October.
Beyond providing immediate food assistance, the funding also focuses on expanding food relief efforts, upgrading facilities, upskilling volunteers and launching community-driven initiatives to tackle the root causes of food insecurity.
Grant recipients in northern Victoria include:
- Mooroopna Education and Activity Centre: Was granted $24,000 to continue the delivery of free food and meals programs and develop a robust community model through needs assessments, volunteer training and strengthening local partnerships.
- Numurkah Community Learning Centre: Received $11,400 to train volunteers in preparing nutritious meal packs for the community to take home.
- South Shepparton Community House: Secured $26,700 to purchase kitchen equipment, expand food relief services and host a monthly community lunch.
- Seymour & District Community House: Was awarded $42,114 to establish a large-scale dedicated food pantry and storage facility as part of the Seymour Food Relief Collaborative.
- Waminda Community House: Received $71,666 to create a co-ordinated community model to strengthen food relief and security for Benalla, enhancing access to nutritious food.
- Cobram Community House: Secured $16,800 to distribute food parcels and frozen meals, alongside community cooking workshops with take-home ingredient packs.
- Myrtleford Neighbourhood Centre: Was granted $36,050 to expand its community garden and upgrade its kitchen facilities to increase its capacity for meal production.
- Sustainable King Valley: Received $59,754 to set up a new community food hub with improved kitchen capacity and storage, and upgrade kitchen facilities at King Valley Children’s Services.
- Yarrawonga Mulwala Community & Learning Centre: Was awarded $43,500 to boost volunteer engagement, youth-specific and youth-led programs and expand its community garden.
Since 2020, the government has invested over $56 million to enhance Victoria’s food relief infrastructure, including support for six regional Foodshares.
Additionally, Foodbank Victoria receives $3.3 million annually for operational costs, alongside $10 million allocated to establish community food centres in Morwell and Ballarat.
To see the full list of funded projects, visit vic.gov.au/community-food-relief-program-local-grants
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