Flourish Activations and Advocacy

Cooking for People with Disabilities 

Kyabram District Health Services (KDHS) delivered a series of inclusive healthy eating workshops for people living with disabilities, focusing on cooking skills and food growing. HLC provided a cooking class kit to support ongoing sessions across community settings and enhanced the Stanhope Community Garden with additional plants and fruit trees to increase access to fresh produce and support future workshops. 

Dig In! Gardening Workshop

Recognising the important role community gardens play in increasing access to fresh food and strengthening community connections, the project partnered with the Maryborough Community Garden to deliver practical, hands-on workshops for local residents.  

The workshops aimed to build participants' confidence and skills in growing vegetables at home, while also increasing awareness of, and engagement with, local food growing initiatives. 

Cooking for Change

Partnered with Bendigo Foodshare and Huntly Primary School to deliver two rounds of the Cooking for Change program. 

Tandoor Ovens

HLC supported the Old Church on the Hill to establish two tandoor ovens, one traditional charcoal oven and one electric oven, within the community garden setting. These ovens were identified by local Afghan and Indian community members as critical infrastructure to enable the preparation of culturally significant foods that are not easily made in home settings. 

Fresh Fruit Fridays

HLC provided funding to the McKern Foundation to support delivery of the Fresh Fruit Friday program within Greater Bendigo. The program aims to improve access to fresh fruit for school-aged children and promote healthy eating habits through regular, free provision of fruit in school settings. 

Farm Tour Series

HLC partnered with Loddon Plains Landcare Network (LPLCN) to deliver two farm tours focusing on sustainable agriculture practices for farmers and food producers in Loddon Shire (and surrounds). It also aimed to provide a place for farmers and food producers to connect with each other and share their knowledge and ideas. 

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation

Five local early learning centres received support to start or expand the centre’s vegetable garden, which included membership to the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation (SAKG). The SAKG features a range of resources that support kindergarten and schools to build a vegetable garden, cook with fresh fruit and vegetables and upskill children and young people to eat, cook and grow with fresh produce. 

Food Pantry at Harcourt Valley Community House

HLC supported Harcourt Valley  Community House to establish a permanent, fit-for-purpose Food Pantry within the Community House. To ensure the Food Pantry could operate efficiently, the project included the purchase and installation of appropriate food storage solutions, including a large commercial glass-fronted refrigerator. To support the educational components, the project incorporated HLC Eat Well. Be Well. campaign–aligned signage, including informative brochures, recipe cards, and healthy food messaging on signage and throughout the pantry. 

July 2024

• HLC made a submission to the Inquiry into Food Security in Victoria containing key messages regarding food security in the Loddon Campaspe region, and strategies and solutions to enhance the resilience of the food system. This submission directly references the Flourish Framework and all recommendations made were in line with Flourish Framework objectives. 

March 2025

• HLC submitted a written response to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Food Security. The submission described the regional context, challenges, and ways the Flourish Framework may support coordinated responses. It included data and insights drawn from local work, including findings from the policy analysis internship. 

June 2025

• The Taskforce undertook an advocacy activity in June 2025, writing to five local governments in the region. These letters, signed by the Chair, encouraged councils to consider food systems approaches and food security in the development of their next Council Plans and Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans. The letters included the Flourish Framework, local data, and an invitation to engage further. 

October 2025

• HLC made a submission to the Feeding Australia: National Food Security Strategy. It included key recommendations to strengthen the proposed strategy in alignment with the Flourish Framework. 

November 2025

• HLC and the City of Greater Bendigo were invited to provide feedback on the proposed updates to the Victorian Planning Provisions by Sustain. Recommendations made in this submission aligned with Flourish Framework objectives.