The Australian Food Network
Toggle User Menu Display

Food in Common

Staying healthy, connected and keeping busy during COVID hasn't been easy - so we're trialling a new way to bring fresh food and recipes, socialising and skill-building opportunities to Seniors in Melbourne with the North Carlton Railway Neighbourhood House.

The Food in Common project commenced in October 2020 with fortnightly recipe packs, instructional cooking videos and regular online catch-ups. We've been so fortunate to source some of our food from the Melbourne Food Hub's sustainable and local suppliers through Grow / Source / Eat.

Learn more about the project here:

From 2021, the program will add in a program of gardening workshops and digital literacy training to assist those over 60 to keep in touch, stay healthy and learn new skills. We'll then create a guide for others community organisations wanting to combine their food, gardening and tech projects with resources to help make it easier for older people everywhere to stay connected.

Pumpkin, saltbush and haloumi salad

You can check out the online cooking classes on our Youtube channel.

Food in Common Manual

We want this project was intended to be replicable across Australia, so we have created a manual that provides practical information about the program content, planning, delivery, and evaluation.

It is our hope that the information provided will illustrate how community/neighbourhood houses, organisations, and groups can implement their own community cooking, gardening, and technology program geared towards creating positive social and health impacts for marginalised people in Australia.

The Food in Common model represents a unique and innovative approach to engaging communities that are often excluded or disadvantaged. This manual is an opportunity for our team to share the knowledge we have gained throughout this pilot project. We encourage questions and inquiries from those who find value in our program and wish to replicate it.

Access the manual here.

Interested in running community food workshops with us? Get in touch.

This project was made possible with the generous support of the Arcare Family Foundation.