FoodHub Health and Wellbeing Program, SA Healthy Towns Award Winner Round 1 2018/19

Winner of Round 1 SA Healthy Towns Challenge

SA Healthy Towns 2018-19 - FoodHub Health and Wellbeing Project

Applying organisation

Uniting Country SA

Towns/communities where project is situated

Port Pirie and surrounding areas

Grant purpose

To increase the community’s awareness, knowledge and skills in healthy eating and increase awareness of and access to healthy low cost food options, the FoodHub and other community health services.

Target population

The community of Port Pirie and surrounding areas, with a focus on children, families and people on low incomes.

External partner and their role

Port Pirie Community Inc.: Port Pirie Community Inc. used its networks and resources to promote the project within the community, assisted with the production of resources and the delivery of project activities.

Project outcomes

The Port Pirie Community FoodHub was established to provide members of the local community with greater food security. The FoodHub is an alternative location for grocery shopping where items are sold at a lower cost than the mainstream supermarkets.

FoodHub volunteers received training by dietitians and environmental health workers covering topics such as the importance of a healthy diet to decrease the absorption and impact of lead, supporting customers to meet healthy eating guidelines within their budget constraints, how to choose healthier options and label reading.  Volunteers will continue to support nutrition activities within the FoodHub and will also receive six-monthly training sessions to ensure their knowledge stays up to date. Thirty one community members also attended cooking classes and received kitchen equipment packs to support healthy home cooking.

With support from Flinders University Dietetics students, the Uniting Country SA’s meal packs were expanded with 13 different packs available to provide greater variety and allow for various dietary requirements, while still being healthy and low-cost.  School students also visited FoodHub to learn about food security and participated in activities, including making up the meal packs and cooking meals to sell in the FoodHub.

Promotional activities included raising awareness of the FoodHub to the general public, targeting service organisations to increase the referral of eligible clients, and promoting the work of the FoodHub to local businesses to increase donations of groceries.  This resulted in the FoodHub working with an additional 12 referring agencies more than 590 new customers, donations from new businesses and community members, and large numbers of information resources being accessed by customers.

FoodHub will continue to run cooking classes and ensure the topic of healthy food and food security in Port Pirie remains on the agenda with community leadership.

Photos courtesy of Uniting Country SA