100 schools receive Playground to Plate grants

On 20 July the Victorian Minister for Health, the Hon Jill Hennessy MP and Stephanie Alexander AO announced that 100 schools will be receiving a Playground to Plate grant:  Supporting Schools to Deliver Healthy Food Education.

The grant scheme, funded by the Victorian Government, is aimed at helping schools to enhance their whole-school approach to health and wellbeing through a targeted boost of funding to establish or enhance their kitchen garden program infrastructure.

Altona P–9 College, a grant recipient, hosted the announcement in their edible garden. The school will be using their grant to build a greenhouse, which will enable them to raise plants from seed and contribute significantly to the productivity of their garden beyond the life of the grant.

Victorian government schools with a primary curriculum in 24 local government areas were eligible to apply for this grant scheme.

Congratulations to the following successful schools:

• Albion Primary School
• Aldercourt Primary School
• Altona North Primary School
• Altona P-9 College
• Ararat Primary School
• Arnolds Creek Primary School
• Athol Road Primary School
• Belle Vue Park Primary School
• Brentwood Park Primary School
• Broadmeadows Special Developmental School
• Brunswick East Primary School
• Brunswick North West Primary School
• Bruthen Primary School
• Buchan Primary School
• Charles La Trobe P-12 College
• Coburg North Primary School
• Coburg Primary School
• Concongella Primary School
• Cranbourne South Primary School
• Dallas Brooks Community Primary School
• Dandenong South Primary School
• Deer Park North Primary School
• Derinya Primary School
• Devon Meadows Primary School
• East Gippsland Specialist School
• Fawkner Primary School
• Footscray West Primary School
• Frankston Special Development School
• Furlong Park School for Deaf Children
• Glengala Primary School
• Great Western Primary School
• Harkaway Primary School
• Jacana School for Autism
• Jackson School
• Jeparit Primary School
• Kananook Primary School
• Kingsbury Primary School
• Kingsville Primary School
• Lakes Entrance Primary School
• Lalor Primary School
• Langwarrin Primary School
• Lindenow South Primary School
• Mackellar Primary School
• Mallacoota P-12 College
• Maramba Primary School
• Meadowglen Primary School
• Melton Specialist School
• Merbein P-10 College
• Mernda Central P-12 College
• Mildura Primary School
• Mildura Specialist School
• Moomba Park Primary School
• Morwell Park Primary School
• Moyston Primary School
• Murrabit Group School
• Nangiloc Colignan and District Primary School
• Newbury Primary School
• Nicholson Primary School
• Noble Park Primary School
• Northern School for Autism - Reservoir Campus
• Nowa Nowa Primary School
• Nungurner Primary School
• Nyah District Primary School
• Parkwood Green Primary School
• Preston North East Primary School
• Preston South Primary School
• Ranfurly Primary School
• Red Cliffs East Primary School
• Robinvale College
• Rosewood Downs Primary School
• Silverton Primary School
• Skye Primary School
• South Street Primary School
• Springside P-9 College
• Springvale Rise Primary School - Heights Campus
• Springvale Rise Primary School - Springvale Campus
• St Albans North Primary School
• St Arnaud Primary School
• Strathmerton Primary School
• Sunbury Primary School
• Sunshine Harvester Primary School
• Swan Hill North Primary School
• Swan Hill Primary School
• Swan Hill Specialist School
• Talbot Primary School
• Thomastown Primary School
• Thomastown West Primary School
• Thornbury Primary School
• Timor Primary School
• Toongabbie Primary School
• Truganina South Primary School
• Tyers Primary School
• Warringa Park School
• Westbreen Primary School
• Western English Language School - Manor Lakes Campus
• Whittlesea Primary School
• William Ruthven Primary School
• Williamstown North Primary School
• Williamstown Primary School
• Yarra Me School

To help these schools make the most of the grant, they have been given a 12-month membership to the Kitchen Garden Classroom. Membership includes access to the Shared Table, an online community space with hundreds of downloadable resources to help schools deliver kitchen and garden classes; discounted professional development; and email and phone support from the Foundation’s Support Team.

The Foundation will also link schools into other State Government initiatives – the Achievement Program and the Healthy Eating Advisory Service – to help their efforts to achieve healthy outcomes.

Playground to Plate is a $500,000 grants scheme funded by the Victorian Government and administered by the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. The successful schools receive a one-off $5000 grant to establish, or enhance, infrastructure for running a kitchen garden program underpinned by the Foundation’s philosophy of pleasurable food education.

We look forward to working with these schools over the coming months.