AN ONGOING funding boost will help Food Is Free keep tackling food insecurity in sustainable ways - helping to up-skill the community.
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Food Is Free has stepped up its workshop offerings this month in a bid to help reconnect with people, to share skills and to present ways to act smarter amid a rising cost of living.
Beekeeping basics, exercises to best prepare gardeners, water colour painting and making beeswax wraps to preserve food have been on offer this past month.
Food Is Free secretary Katja Fiedler said coming out of COVID-19 lockdowns there was a lot of passion for gardening and sustainability and workshops were a way people could continue to grow and develop this interest.
"You can watch YouTube and self-teach, especially from the comfort of your home, but these are skills and experience we share from the community," Ms Fiedler said.
"At Food Is Free we're seeing significant need from the community in access to fresh food. Costs in the community are going up, especially in healthy nutritious food.
"We want to show you how you can grow foods and how this can be in small spaces and big spaces, so people are not as dependent on economic changes from the supermarkets."
Ms Fiedler said a $500 community donation from Commonwealth Bank's Ballarat West branch was a sign of belief and confidence in what Food Is Free is trying to achieve.
She said the money, collected as donations in the bank, would go a long way in Food Is Free operations, particularly in education and hands-on activities for people of all backgrounds to find more affordable options in living - from growing their own food to up-cycling.
"This means the community can see the importance in what we're doing, that we're on the right track and the community is behind us in tackling food insecurity," Ms Fiedler said.
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Workshops are hosted most weekend in Food Is Free's green space, next to Western Oval, but some are scheduled in the field across the region.
Sessions are designed to cater to all abilities from those new to skills to the more experienced. Ms Fiedler said sessions were all about sharing skills and ideas.
Workshops are led by people passionate in their field, passionate about empowering others and passionate about the planet.
Food Is Free Laneway, off Ripon Street South, started in 2014 for people to exchange fresh foods, seedlings, books of gardening and sustainabilty and extras like gardening pots or jars for preserving fruits and vegetables.
More details: foodisfree.com.au.
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