ECH has just received seed funding to create the Dig In Community Food Hub in Emerald. COVID restrictions have prevented us from running the usual monthly dining event. So we have shape shifted and the Victoria government has decided to help us.

The Dig In enterprise will see the development of a local community managed food hub with retail and associated food and garden market. It will operate out of the community house and the century old Emerald bake house behind Commonwealth Bank in the Emerald Village.

The Dig In Community Food Hub intends to:
-Ensure that the community, regardless of disadvantage or need can source healthy food during the current COVID-19 pandemic as well as into the future based on a sustainable business plan.
-Create a food hub in Emerald (primarily supporting the Eastern Dandenong Ranges) through retail and monthly market that is community managed and linked to our current free food provision, providing reliable broad spectrum access to healthy food (perishable and non-perishable), reducing waste and transport of food and increase accessibility of food to those who need it when they need it.
-Use Food Bank and other surplus suppliers, local farm supply, local market stalls, overstock from food businesses, bulk suppliers and community gardens.
-Create an online system for communications and links between other smaller community food enterprises to share need, supplies, coverage and knowledge over two council areas using Recovers.Org.
-Increase promotion of availability of food and where to get it in the area.
-Provide a volunteer platform for those who are interested in working/training in food security, access and local solutions.

Contact  ECH if you want to be a supplier, volunteer, stall holder, trades person, customer, cook, farm resource or partner.

5968 3881 M-W-F 10am-3pm or email emhouse@iinet.net.au and mention Dig In Food Hub.