CERES Harvest Festival 2020

Celebrating and giving thanks to the good earth, our farmers and the cycle of the seasons.

Come and celebrate at the CERES Harvest Festival on Saturday 28^th March 2020.

CERES Harvest Festival offers a range of entertainment with live music, cultural performances, free workshops, animal displays, giant veggie growing competition and kid’s activities. All this alongside food and craft stalls from our most loved local merchants.

Bring your whole family along to the Harvest Festival celebrations.

Entry is $5 (online) or $7 at the gate.* Kids are free. 

*All proceeds go towards keeping CERES awesome

CERES Community Environment Park

Cnr Roberts and Stewart Streets, Brunswick East.

A little bit of country right here in the city.  

For more information contact 9389 0100 or visit www.ceres.org.au

Help us create a new Community Food Hub for the north of Moreland!

Fawkner Open Table Lunch - Photo courtesy of Cara Rixon

Moreland Council has commenced a project looking at the feasibility of establishing a community food hub in the north of Moreland. This is an action in the Food System Strategy 2017 – 2020, which responds to the issue of food security, particularly in our northern suburbs which have the least food secure communities in Moreland.

Last year we mapped over 33 community groups and organisations involved in food activities in north Moreland. We will draw from this strong base of community resources and skills, as well as from the amazing work taking place across Moreland and beyond to deliver community-led outcomes for this project.

We have engaged a team with excellent community engagement and food systems skills and knowledge to work with key stakeholders and the broader community to explore how a community food hub could support and increase the impact and viability of food security efforts in Moreland’s north.

The team consists of local resident Jen Rae from Fair Share Fare, who will lead the consultation process which will take place February – March 2020. Jen will work closely with Jen Sheridan from Open Food Network, who will lead the research, concept development and feasibility assessment with support from the Open Food Network team.

There are 5 x 2 hour day and evening codesign workshops taking place, facilitated by Jen Rae, Jen Sheridan and Kirsten Larsen (Open Food Network Australia). Anyone interested in learning about community food hubs is invited to attend this interactive workshop where you can contribute ideas with others to help shape a vision and inform a concept design for a local food hub in the north.

Thursday 27 February

Hope Centre Glenroy, 93-95 Station Road, Glenroy
    1. 2-4pm
    2. 6-8pm
Friday 28 February

Fawkner Bowling Club, 2 Creedon Street, Fawkner
    3. 1-3pm (WOMEN ONLY)
    4. 6-8pm
Saturday 29 February
Fawkner Bowling Club, 2 Creedon Street, Fawkner
    5. 1-3pm 

Registrations are essential, and you can register your attendance at any of these sessions through this link

Light refreshments will be served. 

Highlights from the Moreland Local Food Forum and Networking event on 14 November

About 25 people attended the Local Food Forum and Networking event on Thursday 14 November at the Coburg Courthouse. It was great to see many new faces as well as those who attended the last event in April, leading to new connections and updates on exciting ongoing initiatives.

The delicious vegan catering was supplied by Alex Dathe of Boom Foods, who sourced many of the seasonal ingredients (such as beetroot, garlic, celery, lettuce and silverbeet) from Fawkner Food Bowls market garden. It doesn't get any more local than that!

All attendees had the opportunity to introduce themselves and share inspiring examples of their activities, project or interest in local food. Two community groups expanded on their history, purpose and programs (links to presentations provided below):

 

1. Mahira Sobral shared the story of the Ecological Justice Hub, a practical environmental program delivered by Jesuit Social Services, based around a permaculture garden in Brunswick. The Hub is dedicated to both social and environmental justice, with the overall aim of restoring peoples' connections to nature as well as each other. Programs cover everything from how to reduce food waste and close the loop by turning food waste into a resource (even acquiring a bioreactor which produces biogas and electricity from organic waste!) to education on the power of mushrooms to restore and generate healthy ecosystems.

Mahira Sobral Ecological Justice Hub Presentation

To find out more about the education, courses and volunteering opportunities at the Hub, email ecojusticehub@jss.org.au

2. Taryn D'Costa, Nerida Thompson and Hilary Hogget related how the Neighbours United for Climate Action (NUCA) was formed by a group of Moreland residents who saw the benefit in acting collectively to help people feel more empowered to respond to the climate emergency. Neighbours have formed teams to progress a whole host of initiatives, including a Community Climate Action education series relating to local food growing, food waste reduction, PURE (Plastic Use Reduction & Elimination), Art Against Ecocide, community and regenerative living.

Taryn, Nerida and Hilary NUCA Presentation

To get involved with NUCA:

• Sign up for the NUCA newsletter or join/create a team – https://nuca.wufoo.com/forms/nuca-sign-up-form/
• Participate in Community Climate Actions events at Newlands Neighbourhood House – The next series will commence in February 2020 – look out for more details in the new year here:  www.facebook.com/communityclimateaction

There was also an update on Moreland Council's new Food Organics Recycling Service and the MWRRG's relaunched 'Back to Earth' program, which educates residents on how to use the service correctly and shows how organic waste is being turned into a valuable resource. The program includes compost donations to eligible organisations and the Victorian Garden Competition which opens in February 2020

Lee from Moreland Council Presentation