SHARE Your Spare is catching on.
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After the success of the Ararat Share Your Spare table in the walkway between Target and Barkly Street, both the Stawell and Ararat libraries have decided they are good locations for fresh produce sharing and swapping to take place.
Both libraries have wheelbarrows placed just inside the front of the buildings where community members can drop off, swap or just take produce at any time during the library opening hours.
“Share Your Spare can really happen anywhere as its just about people sharing their excess produce when they have it,” the co-ordinator of the Grampians Food Alliance group Rachel Whittaker said.
“The three locations that are currently utilised in the Grampians are really just to get the sharing movement started.
“Sharing excess produce is not a new idea, but as our worlds are getting bigger and busier the neighbourhood connections we once had are not always there.
“Instead of our lemons or silverbeet being passed over the fence to our neighbours, or our tomatoes being utilised for neighbourhood pureeing events, produce is going to waste.
“The Share Your Spare locations are just a reminder for those that do grow their own food that there may be others out there who would appreciate the goodness of home grown food.”
Anyone who would like to share ideas on sharing excess produce, relay good news stories on other sharing or swapping initiatives, would like some support for starting up a Share Your Spare location or would like to volunteer for existing locations, can contact Rachel Whittaker on 5362 6200.
People who want to donate food can drop it off at either Stawell or Ararat library during library opening hours or at the table in the walkway between Target and Barkly Street in Ararat between 10am and 3pm on a Thursday.
The Grampians Food Alliance supports the sharing of food knowledge, food growing and food resources in the Grampians-Pyrenees-Ararat region.
The alliance is passionate about fresh, nutritious, safe and sustainable food for all.
It’s goals include:
- Affordable nutritious food widely available and accessible to all throughout the region.
- Educated and connected communities growing, sourcing, budgeting for and cooking healthy food.
- An integrated and sustainable local food system thriving for future generations.
The alliance was established in late 2015 to raise awareness of what was being grown and what food was available in the region.
“It’s important in addressing the issue of a secure and sustainable food system,” Ms Whittaker said.