VCAL

VCAL Students feeding the Community

In 2018, St Bede’s College in association with the Food Security Network began a project to help contribute to the community efforts and initiative to feed people in need at the Refugees and Asylum Seekers Centre in Footscary and FareShare in Abbotsford.

 

Now, its third year, under the mentorship and supervision of Mr Chris Saray, CEO of the Food Security Network, St Bede’s College’s Year 12 VCAL students have again in 2020, been actively constructing and preparing vegetable beds, planting and cultivating a number of herbs and vegetables. We intend to harvest the produce and deliver them to those most in need. ‘Farm fresh’ vegetables and herbs including silver beet, spring onions, parsley and coriander will be produced by the middle of May under the watchful care and advice from Chris on a fortnightly basis.

 

The Uniform Shop area now looks more attractive to regular passers-by and prompts many unsolicited questions as to its purpose, but the real benefit is that it enables those Year 12 VCAL students to develop skills that will go with them on their life journeys into adulthood.

 

Our past contributions made by the Year 12 VCAL initiative to the Refugees and Asylum Seekers Centre and FareShare have been more than symbolic, they have made a great impact on those who are disadvantaged and who are in-need of fresh, fragrant and nutritious food on a daily basis. In the words of FareShare Chief Executive Officer, Marcus Godinho in 2019, “Thank you so much for fighting hunger by supporting FareShare. Your food donation will be incorporated into the meals we make for those who would otherwise go without.”

 

Hopefully, this year’s crop will be just as bountiful and help feed those in our community most at risk, and that have food insecurity. Please watch this space for future updates.

Damon Jacobs

VCAL Garden Electives Facilitator 2020