Reconciliation and renovations from GrainCorp Grants

Environmental projects, school programs and First Nations initiatives are among the first GrainCorp Community Foundation (GCF) grant recipients in 2023.

 

More than $230,000 in funding will be awarded to 26 community groups and clubs in Australia and New Zealand, as part of the company’s bi-annual grants funding rounds.

GrainCorp Community Engagement Manager Kyle Docherty says the company is supporting a diverse range of groups that are striving to improve their programs.

“The projects we selected are set on achieving positive community participation, through the provision of local infrastructure, environment and sustainability initiatives and more,” he says.

“Whether it be improving the safety of community facilities or increasing knowledge of Indigenous cultures across the areas GrainCorp operates in, we’re proud to support these initiatives and help our local communities thrive.”

 

Connecting to Country

 

The Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation, based in Wollongong, NSW, is an Aboriginal organisation dedicated to helping young Aboriginal people connect with their traditional culture and heritage.

Among their initiatives is the volunteer-run Coomaditchie Community Garden, which brings together Coomaditchie Elders and community members to grow food and share skills in local food production.

The initiative has received funding for soil, plants, gardening equipment and other materials that will scale up the production of vegetables and bushtucker, and that will help transform it into a community gathering space.

Project Officer Donna Castagna says the new space will provide a unique opportunity for reconciliation with local Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community members.

 

“The project will allow us to deliver an educational garden, where we can work together to plant, cultivate, harvest and share the food we produce.

“It will also provide a meeting place for sharing our cultural knowledge of gardening and food preservation, to increase biodiversity.”

Donna Castagna, Coomaditchie Community Garden

“The grant will be put towards building infrastructure for additional growing, food processing and a community gathering space, where Coomaditchie Elders and community members can regularly come together to share this knowledge in native food production.

“On behalf of the Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation, I’d like to thank GrainCorp for their Community Grant that will help bring this new space to life, which will no doubt make a huge difference to the wellbeing of our local community.”

Full article

https://www.graincorp.com.au/reconciliation-and-renovations-from-graincorp-grants/