The Health Promotion team at Gateway Health supports access to nutritious food and drinks by:
- Working with a variety of settings (schools, out of hours school care, sport/recreation clubs and Council/community facilities) to offer nutritious food and drink options through the Vic Kids Eat Well program. Vic Kids Eat Well is a program that’s focused on transforming the food and drink environments where kids spend their time. The program is free and a Health Promotion Coordinator will provide support to deliver this. For more information and to register for Vic Kids Eat Well please visit the website here.
- Working with communities and settings to establish/maintain food access initiatives such as food swaps, food hubs, food growing gardens, local produce markets, community food pantries etc. This is done by assisting with grant applications/funding opportunities, community engagement, developing new partnerships and providing access to resources.
- Providing regular updates and information about local community food initiatives through groups such as the Wangaratta Community Food For All facebook page
- Partnering with organisations across the region to support a sustainable, resilient and equitable food system across North East Victoria. This is outlined in the North East Local Food Strategy
- Advocating for a healthy, regenerative and equitable food system in Victoria, check out the Victorian Food System Consensus Statement
Check out our case study on working to support food access in food desert areas.
Local resources
For information about local community food initiatives in your area including food swaps, community food pantries, community gardens, emergency food relief, community meals and farmers markets, click here:-
Wangaratta and surrounding areas
Albury Wodonga and surrounding areas
To learn about some of the amazing community food initiatives in the north-east region (including Mount Beauty Neighbourhood House, Sustainable King Valley Food Co-op, Dumu Café/Bright Food Co-op and Albury Wodonga Volunteer Resource Bureau’s Multicultural Cooking Program) have a look at the video’s below and here https://acresandacres.com.au/
Need inspiration to grow your own food? Imagine if all you needed to do to put a meal together was walk out your back door? Fresh tasty vegetables, vibrant herbs, and sweet fruits much closer than the supermarket. Growing your own food doesn’t need to be daunting and time consuming. Even growing a few things will make a significant difference. Let us (pardon the pun!) inspire you in this fun 15-minute film, from the local ‘Parsley Collective’ …https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MwfRtWGKyw
Other useful resources
- Being size inclusive – https://bhn.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Final-Online-Version_Size-Inclusive-Resource-1.pdf
- Cook Well Eat Well – https://www.cookwelleatwell.org.au/
- Tucker Talk Tip sheets https://www.vaccho.org.au/member-services/workforce-development-2/nutrition/
- Healthy Eating Advisory Service – https://heas.health.vic.gov.au/
- Food Bank tips to reduce food waste https://www.foodbank.org.au/reduce-food-waste/?state=nsw-act
Contact the Health Promotion Team
If you are interested in any of these initiatives or would like further information please email HealthPromotion.Team@gatewayhealth.org.au