Foodswell - Health, environment, Indigenous - healthy, reliable, sustainable food

Foodswell promotes the prevention of disease caused by poor diet, inadequate nutrition and associated social, emotional and environmental determinants of good health by creating change towards food security for all Australians.

We walk the talk between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians to enable action to improve people's access to healthy, reliable, sustainable food. Our programs include and expand upon those of the Remote Indigenous Gardens Network (RIG Network). Our programs are delivered in and with remote, rural and regional communities in the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales.

Why?

• Australia is experiencing high growth rates of diet related chronic disease - diabetes is a 'burgeoning pandemic'.
• Indigenous Australians suffer a burden of disease two-and-a-half times greater than that experienced by the total Australian population.
• About 80% of the health gap difference is due preventable chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• Nutrition is a major contributor to these conditions.
• Basic nutritious foods in rural and remote Australia often cost up to 30% (if not much more) than in capital cities and are often not reliably available.
• The UN World Food Summit defines food security as existing "when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life".
• Some two million Australians do not satisfy the above definition and one million Aussie kids still go to school without breakfast or bed without dinner each night (Foodbank Australia, End Hunger Report 2012).

What we do

• Deliver culturally inclusive programs that support people to grow or otherwise access and enjoy more healthy, sustainable food on a reliable basis.
• Our programs include:-

• The EduGrow School Garden Awards program - remote and regional

• RIG Network capacity building resources, communications and workshops

• Food, Family, Community rural and regional events to raise awareness and facilitate action. These include The Big Lunch and Foodswell Tucker Talks.

• Initiate partnerships and social enterprise initiatives to help tackle food insecurity, promote social inclusion and employment.
• Network individuals and organisations with NGOs and other support services who can help them address their food needs.

What you can do

You can help Foodswell deliver action to support everyone's right to healthy, reliable, sustainable food by making a donation to support what we do.

$200 pays for an EduGrow Get Growing! School 'start-up' incentive or Resource pack
$1000 Enables a community Big Lunch event to grow good food connections and action
$2500 pays for a community based EduGrow workshop or Foodswell Tucker Talk
$5000 pays for major prizes for a regional EduGrow Program
$5000 pays for all costs for one edition of the Remote Indigenous Gardens Network newsletter RIG News.
$10000 Pays for key Foodswell research and organisational development tasks.

• Give a one-off donation online
• Give a regular donation online