The Medibank Community Fund (MCF) has awarded a $7,500 community grant to BEST Employment in Inverell, New South Wales.
The grant will fund a BEST food garden which will provide young people, the long-term unemployed, Indigenous juvenile offenders and people with a disability with an opportunity to participate in a sustainable gardening program that benefits the wider community.
The BEST Food Garden will teach participants how to propagate and plant seedlings, grow and work a garden and harvest vegetables, with the fresh produce to be delivered to elderly and disadvantaged members of the community.
Medibank Retail State Manager for NSW, Dilan Perera said the program embraced the Medibank Community Fund's priorities of promoting healthy eating, physical activity and greater community connectedness -the key selection criteria for the MCF grants program.
"Medibank employees on our Regional Council from across NSW, expressed overwhelming support for BEST Employment's application because their food garden program supports and provides vital help to people who are struggling or needing guidance while teaching valuable healthy living strategies and social skills", said Mr Perera.
"The Medibank Community Fund grants program supports local, grassroots initiatives that aim to create a lasting and positive impact on the mental and physical wellbeing of people in the community and BEST Employment and its BEST food garden are doing just that".
BEST Employment's Danny Middleton said the garden will give participants an opportunity to get involved with and contribute positively to the community and their own personal health and wellbeing.
"The grant is allowing us to create a garden that will bring people from varying walks of life together in a socially inclusive environment where they can learn new skills, grow delicious produce and share a healthy meal they created with members of the community", said Mr Middleton.
BEST Employment is one of 42 recipients chosen from more than 900 applications across Australia and New Zealand to receive a 2014 Medibank Community Fund grant.