Fawkner Commons
Fawkner Commons is a collaboration of local producers and businesses working in partnership to bring affordable and fresh food to local tables. We work as a Covid-responsive food hub, operating in 2020 from the Fawkner Bowling Club and in 2021 from Fawkner Primary School.
Purchases are made online by Monday 8am for collection on Wednesday afternoon and evening.
https://openfoodnetwork.org.au/fawknercommons/shop
Current partners include Fawkner Food Bowls, The One Box, Der Partisan bakery, Fawkner Wholefoods Collective, St David's Dairy, Andre's of Melbourne, Merri Creek Urban Farm, Farmer Incubator and Alberto's Delicacies.
History
Fawkner was a Covid-19 hotspot suburb in 2020 and was subject to the northern-suburbs 120 day lockdown. Fawkner was already the most food insecure of Moreland’s eleven suburbs.
Fawkner Commons was developed by Jen Rae (FairShare Fare) and Sally Beattie (Fawkner Food Bowls), to help provide COVID-safe alternatives for the provision of staples (veggies, bread, dairy, prepared meals) whilst supporting the growing local food economy.
Along with providing weekly food boxes, Fawkner Commons aims to foster social inclusion, social cohesion and community resilience through pay-it-forward initiatives, meal programs, volunteering and community activities, partnerships, collaborations and advocacy.
Fawkner Commons was launched in May 2020 in partnership with The Community Grocer and Fawkner Bowling Club with support from the Open Food Network, Moreland Council and the Victorian State Government.
Between May-December 2020, we distributed over $116K worth of fresh produce and essentials via our food box program, helping many localbusinesses keep afloat.
We distributed 2400 prepared meals (via Natalie Abboud’s Soup Kitchen, Lentil as Anything Pop-up and Humpday Take-Away)
We helped distribute 1525 no-cost food hampers with the help of Open Table, Oz Harvest, Moreland Council, CIS Moreland, our Fawkner Food Bowls urban farm and Heide Museum’s kitchen garden.
We raised over $10K through our pay-it-forward programs including ‘small batch’ products and PiF bunches in the store and ‘humpday take-away’ on Wednesdays.
In September 2020, we collaboratively launched a funding campaign, Morefood for Moreland to support localised food relief in the northern suburbs of Moreland. Partners were CIS Moreland and the Community Grocer with support from the Inner North Foundation, Moreland Council and Untitled Creations.
See us in The Age - that’s us in the Fawkner Food Bowls garden with a write-up under ‘community’
Jen Rae was awarded the 2020 Moreland Community Partnerships Award for Fawkner Commons in September 2020.
