4th Annual Crowd Harvest; Seeds for Christmas

Victoria, Australia.
It's on again! After such great success over the last 3 years, people all over Victoria have been empowered to grow their own food. Save your left over and excess seeds this Spring, and send them to someone in need.
NFPs supporting, enabling and empowering those in need to adopt self sustaining food gardening practices are looking to establish Seed Banks. By a central body establishing a seed bank, people facing difficult circumstances can access the seeds and establish food gardens.
Gardeners everywhere harvest more seeds than can be stored, and need to be used before they expire. In this Crowd Harvest, Australian gardeners with excess seeds are invited to send them in a Christmas card or holiday card to one or more NFPs from the list below :-)
Please package seeds in individual and labelled packages so food relief recipients can easily take them home. Experienced gardeners, please send viable, open pollinating seeds.
Anyone wanting to purchase seeds for the NFPs, please look for websites and/or nurseries that promote 'heirloom', 'non genetically modified', 'open pollinating', or 'organic'.
Each of the NFPs listed below has a certified horticulturalist employed, and ready to look after the seeds, either to start the seeds, store the seeds or distribute to others facing crisis yet know how to start seeds :-) You can be assured the seeds will be looked after.
Variety is welcome!
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/tinytrowel/

DIVRS & Darebin Fruit Squad
Urban Food Program
285 High Street
Preston 3072
http://www.divrs.org.au/#divrs
http://www.darebinfruitsquad.org/
Social enterprise providing food relief to long term unemployed, aged workers and refugee groups, including food growing practices.

STREAT
Tastes Good. Does Good.
66 Cromwell Street, Collingwood, VIC 3066
www.streat.com.au
www.facebook.com/streat.melbourne www.twitter.com/streatmelbourne
STREAT is a social enterprise designed to assist homeless youth in Melbourne.

CITY HARVEST
16 Portrush Loop,
Armstrong Creek
Geelong 3217
www.cityharvest.com.au
Social enterprise providing training for food security to long term unemployed, aged workers and refugee groups.

Asylum Seekers Resource Centre Foodbank
Level 1,
214 - 218 Nicholson St,
Footscray VIC 3011
Monday to Friday
10.00 am - 5.00 pm.
t: 03 9326 6066
e:admin@asrc.org.au
Feeding refugees and those seeking asylum.
The ASRC Foodbank say they will accept Woollies seed pots to give to asylum seekers. If you shop at Woollies, please save the ones that you don't need and pass to those who do need! :-) 

PS. SAM FARBOD
NEWHOPE IRANIAN COMMUNITY
PO Box 255
Kerrimuir VIC 3129
https://www.newhope.net.au/Persian
An Iranian community who fled to Australia due to religious persecution.

Rowville Community Centre
40 Fulham Road,
Rowville VIC 3178
Food kitchen distributing and growing fresh food for low income Australians.

The Grow Cook Share Project
Ingrid Phyland
The Salvation Army
PO Box 992
Bendigo, Vic, 3550
Growing, teaching food growing and sharing community home grown food to all.

Alex Salmon
CARRINGTON HEALTH
Level 2, 43 Carrington Road
Box Hill VIC 3128
Food Gardens for Low income Australians
W www.carringtonhealth.org.au

FOOD FOREST ASHBURTON GROUP
C/O The Craig Family Centre
7 Samarinda Avenue
Ashburton VIC 3147
https://foodforestashy.wordpress.com/

NEWHOPE COMMUNITY CARE
Relief Care @NHCC
PO Box 255
Kerrimuir VIC 3129
http://www.newhopecare.net.au/food-pantry
Food Relief Centre looking to apply sustainable approaches to food resilience care.

FOOD GARDEN - The Craig Family Centre
7 Samarinda Avenue
Ashburton VIC 3147
http://craigfc.org.au/
Food Gardens for Low income Australians

Alternatively:
TINY TROWEL
P.O Box 4076
Box Hill South VIC 3128
Twitter: @Tiny_Trowel
Blog: http://mylittletrowel.blogspot.com.au/

Crowd Harvest - Winter Citrus

Vitamin C! Crowd Harvest: Winter Citrus Lemon trees are heavy laden in the middle of winter. Nearly every home has a healthy citrus tree producing a bounty in the winter: Grapefruit, Lime, Cumquat, Oranges, Mandarins and Lemons. Citrus helps fight the winter colds and flu. Anyone growing produce in their own backyard inevitably produces excess - more than one family can consume. Winter brings a citrus bounty and gardeners are overwhelmed with fruit! Why not take some down to your local Food Relief provider and help those facing food insecurity and homelessness. We can all lend a hand in providing a lift up. Donating excess home grown produce is a small but significant way to help make a real difference. MELBOURNE CBD, WARRANDYTE, ROWVILLE, COLLINGWOOD, FOOTSCRAY, CROYDEN, AIRPORT WEST, and PRESTON Now and Not Yet Cafe Assisting Asylum Seekers a. 148 Yarra St Warrandyte VIC 3113 t. 03 9844 0994 Monday to Sunday 8.00 am - 3.00 pm w. nowandnotyet.com.au Rowville Community Kitchen Rowville Community Centre 40 Fulham Road, Rowville VIC 3178 Monday - Friday 10.00am till 3.00pm http://rowvillecommunitykitchen.com.au/ SALVATION ARMY KITCHEN Melbourne 614 69 Bourke Street Melbourne VIC 3000 Monday - Friday 9.00 am - 4.00 pm https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/melbourne614/ WINTER SHELTER Croydon Hills Baptist Church, 6 Bemboka Rd Croyden VIC 3136 Monday to Friday 9.00 am - 5.00 pm https://chbc.org.au/ https://wintershelter.org.au/ STREAT Tastes Good. Does Good. 66 Cromwell Street, Collingwood, VIC 3066 Monday - Sunday 8.00am till 3.00pm (03) 9629 4222 www.streat.com.au STREAT is a social enterprise designed to assist homeless youth in Melbourne. ELISHA CARE 14a Croydon Road, Croydon, VIC 3136 Please go down the drive towards the back for drop off. Monday - Friday 9.00 am - 5.00 pm http://www.elishacare.org/ Asylum Seekers Resource Centre Foodbank Level 1, 214 - 218 Nicholson Footscray VIC 3011 Monday to Friday 10.00 am - 5.00 pm. t: 03 9326 6066 e:admin@asrc.org.au Food seeds also welcomed! Helping Hands Mission 492 Fullarton Road Airport West 3042 Monday to Friday 10.00 am - 4.00 pm DIVRS 285 – 287 High Street Preston VIC 3072 Ph 03 9480 8207 Monday- Thursday 9.30 am – 2:30 pm www.divrs.org.au Tiny Trowel on Facebook Harvest of Hope was featured on Gardening Australia this week.  The Baguley farm have allowed the ASRC to use their land to grow food for refugees. What a wonderful initiative! https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/harvest-of-hope/11230720 Gardening Australia host, Costa, offers great tips on how to look after a maturing Citrus Tree to encourage decades of produce into the future.  https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/love-ya-lemons/11235316 Click on the image for the video.

Crowd Harvest: Herbs for Australia Day

Australia Day celebrations are a great time to express the generous Australian spirit towards asylum seekers and those in need.
During the summer time, herbs are flourishing!
Many home gardeners find their herb plants outgrow their pots/land in the summer time, and usually split the plant to share with their family and friends. Split plants donated to those facing food insecurity can make them feel the generous spirit of Australia Day.
Such a gift would provide an ongoing, self sustaining way for people to enhance their own nourishment. Sophie from Gardening Australia shows how it can be done with ease in this engaging video: http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s4570418.htm

Small pots are the best way to present your wonderful gift, with a label to identify the plant.
The ASRC and Rowville Community Kitchen have clients who could use some home grown herbs in pots. People receive great joy when gifted with herbs! Strawberry and pepper plants are also greatly appreciated.
Dried herbs, freshly cut herbs, and bay leaves are all welcomed. You might be cutting back your rosemary - the ASRC would love all the off cuts :-)
Just pop in and say Hi from Jan 11 to Jan 24 during their opening times and help celebrate Australia Day. Remember, all NFPs are closed on Australia day - Jan 28 - a public holiday!

Asylum Seekers Resource Centre Foodbank
Level 1, 218 Nicholson S
Footscray VIC 3011
Open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 3 pm.
Closed on public holidays. Closed on Weekends.
Pots and soil would also be appreciated at this venue to enable asylum seekers to plant out the herbs.

Rowville Community Centre
40 Fulham Road,
Rowville VIC 3178
Open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm.
Closed on public holidays. Closed on Weekends.
Food bank and kitchen distributing and growing fresh food and plants for low income Australians.