• Over 900 children, young people and community members have participated in gardening, cooking and community activities through Our Food Connections Project. 

• Walking alongside Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, the project supports self-determined priorities that create spaces for learning, sharing and healing. 

From Dja Dja Wurrung Country to Gunditjmara Country, kitchen gardens in Aboriginal communities in Victoria strengthen connections to food, culture, community and wellbeing. 

Over the last year, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation has continued its partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), supported by funding from the Greater Melbourne Foundation, to deliver the second year of Our Food Connections Project. Our Project Leads, Monique Sobey and Belinda Nowakowski, walk alongside Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) to support community-led kitchen gardens, culturally relevant food literacy programs, and spaces for learning, sharing and healing.   

This year alone, the project supported five new ACCOS (for a total of 11), and delivered 27 gardening workshops, 13 cooking workshops, six community events and five impact yarns, reaching an estimated 900 children, young people and community members across Victoria. 

The project combines place-based food education with VACCHO’s Culture+Kinship model.  

Cooking and learning together

While every community’s journey looks different, a common thread has emerged: food brings people together. 

At the Dhauwurd Wurrung Elderly and Community Health Service (DWECH) Family Camp earlier this year, children, parents, Elders and community members gathered to prepare and share food. The hands-on cooking session built confidence in the kitchen, with one young participant excited to help more with cooking and meal planning at home, while another was inspired by how simple the zucchini slice recipe was to make independently.  

Since then, DWECH has continued incorporating produce from its garden into youth programs, creating opportunities for younger mob to build food skills, share knowledge and strengthen connections to healthy food and community. 

Building confidence and connection

At the Dandenong and District Aborigines Co-Operative Limited (DDACL), a Mums and Bubs cooking program continued despite the closure of the original community garden site. The Foundation helped establish a 10-week cooking program in a local community venue, where families prepared meals ranging from homemade pizzas and minestrone to bush tucker curries and traditional Bully Beef stew. Participants took home ingredients and recipes each week, allowing them to build confidence and share new skills with their families.  

“As the comforting smell of Bully Beef filled the room, everyone started sharing their own memories and stories,” reflected the project team. “It was a great reminder of how family recipes can create those special moments of connection to culture and community.”  

Gardens as living classrooms

At Bendigo and District Aboriginal Co-operative (BDAC), the community garden has become a thriving hub for children’s learning. More than 50 kindergarten children have been involved in planting, harvesting and cooking with produce grown on site, while families joined celebrations during NAIDOC Week.  

“Through planting, nurturing, and harvesting, the children have discovered the importance of taking only what they need, sharing produce with peers and families, and respecting the natural cycle of living things,” says Kindergarten Educator Aimee Croft. 

The impact can be seen in the children’s own words: 

“The garden is a place where we grow seeds. We can watch them grow from something tiny to really big and ready to eat with friends!” one child shared.  

New resources for food sovereignty 

Another important achievement has been the development of a set of culturally informed recipe cards, co-designed by the Foundation, VACCHO, ACCOs and an Indigenous-led bush foods enterprise. The recipes feature ingredients commonly found in ACCO food relief programs, alongside Indigenous ingredient options and easy substitutions. 

Designed to build confidence in cooking nutritious meals, the recipe cards also promote food sovereignty and greater awareness of healthy eating through practical, accessible resources. 

Sharing knowledge across communities 

VACCHO’s inaugural Food Gathering event brought together ACCOs, practitioners and community members from across Victoria. Foundation staff supported the event by hosting a Community Gardens in Action showcase and facilitating yarning circles. Representatives from several ACCOs shared stories of their kitchen gardens and community food programs, highlighting the power of peer learning and collaboration.  

Looking ahead

The continued success of Our Food Connections Project shows what is possible when communities are supported to lead, culture is recognised as central to health and wellbeing, and food becomes a vehicle for connection, learning and healing. We look forward to building on this momentum and continuing this important work together for a third year. 

For more information on Our Food Connections Project, please contact Project Lead Monique Sobey via monique.sobey@kitchengardenfoundation.org.au.