A space to meet, learn about, grow, make, eat, and source local, fresh and healthy food. We promote healthy, ethical food for the community. The Cardinia Community Food Hub has been established with the help of Cardinia Council, Sustain Australia, Hopeworks Community Solutions, and the Victorian Government to facilitate building a healthier, fairer, and more sustainable food system in the Cardinia
Region. We work with local farmers to enable access to fair prices for their produce, and better prices for consumers. The CFH also provides a space for community members to engage one another about food, farming, and food systems. Our Local Food Boxes are sourced from local farms using sustainable practices. The boxes offer better quality produce, direct from our local farmers, giving you the opportunity to invest in our community without extra cost. We are excited to launch the four-week pilot CFH Local Fresh Produce Subscription program!!!
Our Local Food Boxes offer high-quality, seasonal produce sourced exclusively from local, sustainably farmed growers in regional Victoria. The best part? Our fruits and veggies cost the same or less than the big grocery chains. Our Local Food Boxes give you the opportunity to invest in your community without extra costs! We are offering three sizes for our pilot program:
CCFH Local Food Box Small – for single-occupant households. Our Small Food Box offers a taste of what's in season each week. CCFH Food Box Medium – for dual-occupant households. Our Medium Food Box can feed a household of 2-3 each week. CCFH Food Box Large – for households of four. Our Large Food Box should feed your whole household. It's packed with larger quantities of staple items to keep everyone full all week long. For our pilot program, we are sourcing our produce from local farmers and we are grateful for their support. Cafresco
Thriving Foods Farm
Wayne Tymenson
Why get involved in the pilot? We're hoping to create a lasting program that can blossom into a community focussed local food initiative and it all starts with our Local Food Boxes. By taking part in the pilot program we are giving you the chance to let your voice be heard. We'll be sending through surveys throughout the six weeks to get information on what you like, don't like or LOVE. Interested in getting involved or volunteering with us? Get in touch - email [email protected]
What is a food box? Good question! A food box is a curated selection of local, seasonal produce. Each week's produce is picked fresh by our local farmers, packed in collaboration with Hopeworks youth training, and ready to be collected and devoured each Wednesday. Why support local farmers? You might have heard, our food system is sick. Cardinia Food Hub works in collaboration with Cardinia Council, Cardinia Food Circles, Hopeworks, and Sustain: Australia's Food Network to (re)imagine what a healthy, equitable food system should look like. Supporting local farmers is the most effective way to support a sustainable, just food system. Giving back to your local community by eating a nutritious meal, too easy! Why Food Boxes? No shortcuts and no one gets short-changed. Food Boxes support farmers by buying directly what they are selling each season. Big grocery chains pick and choose based on what looks picture-perfect, but the reality is: farming isn't picture-perfect. Tomatoes aren't always in season! We purchase produce directly from farmers and bring it to the community while working to educate the public on the realities of food systems. Supporting our Local Food Boxes means directly supporting your local farming community. How does it work? Choose how you want to receive your boxes:
- Collection from Limebox Cafe in Pakenham Wednesday’s at Limebox from 12.30pm - 3pm
- FREE Home Delivery to Pakenham & Officer, (see map)
CCFH's Local Food Box pilot will run for six weeks and collection will take place each Wednesday.
Wednesday May 5th (first collection!)
Wednesday May 12th
Wednesday May 19th
Wednesday May 26th
Wednesday June 2nd
Wednesday June 9th
Wednesday June 16th (last collection!)
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS...
Is the food box going to be my grocery store replacement? Although our Local Food Boxes are packed with fresh, sustainably grown produce, it might not replace the need to pop out for a few things each week. As the produce included is all seasonal it means you might have to buy additional veggies for specific recipes or get in the habit of replacing like veggies (parsley, coriander, same thing right?!). Expect to be full but know that you might still have to stop by the shops for an avo every once and a while. What does seasonal produce mean? Seasonal produce means growing only what is in season. That means most fruits and veggies go in and out of season. For example, tomatoes are a summer crop while avocados are a winter crop. Farmers can’t grow everything all year round (although the grocery store shelves would tell you differently) so our Local Food Boxes will include only items that are in season. Eating seasonally is a meaningful way of supporting small-medium scale, sustainable farmers as it means you're eating what they're growing. So, what does this mean? It means we get to care for our farmers, and our farmers get to care for our soil! Farmers caring for our soil fights against climate change and positively impact our environment. It all comes full circle. What if I can't collect each week? What if I miss a week? The program will run for six weeks and by signing up you're committing to a Local Food Box each week. If you are unable to collect one Wednesday or if something comes up, get in touch! However, if none of the collection or delivery options work for you and you won't be able to commit to collection each week, skip the signup and shoot us an email. We'd love to hear how we can fit into your life a bit easier! Email us [email protected]
What else does CCFH do? Cardinia Community Food Hub is at its inception stage so currently we are focused on one thing: local fruits and veggies. However, we hope to start connecting community groups, hosting volunteer days, coordinating events, and engaging with the local community. Watch this space! Do these boxes include meat? CCFH only sources from fruit and vegetable farms.
