Fair Food Week runs from the October 9th-17th and is a celebration of all the farmers, gardeners, chefs, and community-based food enterprises that work hard to ensure all people living in Australia have access to fresh, local, and affordable produce. National Nutrition Week runs from October 10-17th to raise awareness about the role food plays in our health. World Food Day then kicks off on October 16th with this year’s theme: “Our Actions are our Future- Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life”
We have a lot to celebrate this year at The Community Grocer, as while the last two years have been incredibly difficult, our 2021 Impact Evaluation conducted by students at Monash University found that 61% of our customers increased their consumption of fruit and vegetables by shopping at TCG. We are also proud that we have been able to keep most of our markets running throughout lockdown restrictions by implementing increased safety measures and relocating some of our markets when necessary. Most importantly, we have continued to receive amazing feedback from those who shop with us! This is only made possible with the support of so many people and organisations!
Our Fresh Produce Suppliers
Our 2021 Impact Evaluation also found that 81% of customers rated our produce as Excellent Quality! Piccolo Fresh has been our main supplier since we opened our first market in 2014. Piccolo Fresh’s focus on Australian grown produce means the seasonal produce sold at our markets is super fresh! We have loved having Piccolo Fresh supply us with high-quality, fresh produce as this means that when our supporters shop with us, not only are they supporting the right to food, but they are also supporting Australian Farmers and their communities.
Over the last year, we’ve also been able to work with Moving Feast and Melbourne Farmers’ Markets to source some additional local and organic produce for our markets as well as the boxes we prepared for the housing estates in lockdown last year.
Our Market teams
We are so lucky to see to many friendly customers each week, and even more lucky that so many of our customers are happy to have a quick chat about their favourite foods and what they are planning to cook for the week. So this Fair Food Week, we thought it was about time we returned the favour, and shared with everyone our favourite foods and how we like to eat them. Check out some of our Market Faces and Faves below and stay tuned on our social media pages for more during this week!
These are also the faces of our amazing volunteers, without whom, our markets would not be possible. Our volunteers are up early with our Market Managers every market morning to get everything ready for our wonderful customers. So this week we also wanted to take the time to thank our volunteers for making the our markets run smoothly, and also make them a really fun place to work! If you’d like to express an interest in volunteering with us, head to Get Involved.
Our Supporters
The last year has not been easy for anyone and we are so thankful for all our loyal customers who have continued to shop with us when able, both at Our Markets and with online Box Orders! We are also thankful to those who support us by following us online, sharing our posts and making donations. All your support, in any shape or form, allows us to continue to ensure our communities have access to fresh, high-quality, affordable, and culturally appropriate fruit and vegetables! We have be blown away by the positive feedback that we have received in last 18 months, particularly given what has been thrown at us. We are so proud to have been able to continue providing our service to our communities throughout all the twists and turns of this time. Check out some of the feedback we have received below! Or stay tuned on our social media pages for more this week.
We are so proud of what we have been able to achieve in the last two years and there are so many people and organisations who made it all possible. Thank you again to everyone who makes The Community Grocer thrive, all your support, in any form, means a greater impact in our community!