The Huon Valley Council has secured funding through the Healthy Tasmania Fund grant round 2 to establish a food hub network to support the ongoing health and wellbeing of our residential and business communities.

Council will use the $192,500 grant to link local producers and organisations into a local, sustainable food system that provides a range of benefits to our community and provides easier access to healthy food.

“The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that we need more resources and connections in the Huon Valley to make sure people across our communities are supported in times of need,” Huon Valley Council Mayor Bec Enders said.

“We’d like to thank the Tasmanian Government for providing this grant to help us work locally to develop the food hub”

“The food hub will build upon the strong network of local producers, businesses, and community groups and initiatives to support health and wellbeing in our community and also make the Huon Valley more prepared to deal with the impacts of emergencies.

“We’d like to thank the Tasmanian Government for providing this grant to help us work locally to develop the food hub and work together to set it up for long-term success.”

Council is connecting with local community and government organisations to gain their support and involvement in the project. Key representatives from stakeholders will be supported to form a Huon Valley Food Coalition to move the food hub forward and support the system’s ongoing operation.

“We will be undertaking community engagement with Huon Valley residents and businesses to ensure the model for the food hub meets local needs and has a strong business plan and provides opportunities for our community to get involved,” Cr Enders said.

Council will be recruiting a dedicated project officer in the coming months to manage the project, the position funded by the Tasmanian Government.

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Images by Andrew Wilson