Emerald Community House

Get going and get growing!
Buy your herbs from Fiona at Emerald Community Market this Sunday and leave your umbrella at home. 10-3

The herbs and edible plants you can plant once and keep enjoying - ABC News The herbs and edible plants you can plant once and keep enjoyingABC Lifestyle / By Anna ChisholmPosted 20h ago20 hours agoFri 13 Sep 2024 at 4:24am Connie Cao says she finds spring onions easy to grow at home.(Supplied: Connie Cao)It's hard to beat fresh herbs straight from the garden, especially wh...

Emerald Community Market, where your buck stops here!
Sunday Aug 18, 10-3

A great self sustaining organisation to support. Quite inspiring actually. Hmmm.....

https://mailchi.mp/8087b2b9b094/ecoss-urgent-fundraiser-and-thankyou Thankyou for all the support thus far, we still need to reach our target of $15,000- please share and donate.

https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=7t3oSfxR4q-X8eU3Vh3LsNHYk8p5FM4C9yyeM0ooeSHV92WXkXFHfGpRIyA_kxfP7OxUBG5WirX4Xai3&locale.x=AUD

Literacy skills is important business

Bunnings activity at ECH with our Wellbeing Group

A belated Xmas in July Feast - Ham & trimmings followed by a vanilla glazed cupcake.
Our All Abilities Cooking creates beneficial resources and skills for all. Put that in your Council 'Have Your Say' and smoke it!

ECH generates most of it's revenue, covering wages and free food/support services.

As the longest running, most affordable, reliable, licensed childcare programs in Emerald, children are our first priority. Occasional Care for under 5s and Before and After School Care for Emerald Primary School are unique programs that support both Cardinia and Yarra Ranges families.

Cooking with benefits!

T'is the season for comfort food.

Financial Struggleville blues? We are all connected by the financial crisis.
"It's a situation playing out across the country, with Australian households battling concerning levels of food insecurity as the cost-of-living crisis takes its toll."

ECH is still functioning full throttle. Only ECH can deliver ECH programs and services such as licensed childcare programs, our Foodbank supplies, our short courses, our wellbeing programs, our monthly market, our support for those at risk or disadvantaged, 12,000 litres of stored water and back up power charged by solar renewables and generators.

Council is not providing any of the community house sevices despite early Council comments that the Council would be "taking over delivery of interim services" and that Council would also be withdrawing ECH operational funds because of DFFH's decision.

DFFH continues to withhold our approved funds now sitting in their account. These funds were budgeted and approved by State gov for ECH like 400 other Victorian Neighbourhood Houses. An election commitment.

DFFH says that they just "aren't obliged to fund ECH beyond June 30, 2023" - that translates to withdrawing agreed recurrent funds that were approved to support Emerald and surrounding region.
That's money withdrawn from you and your ECH generated services as local residents, ratepayers, voters, microbusinesses, students, families, financially stressed and hard working parents.

ECH will remain as an independent program provider to keep support up to the community in the absence of the state and council governments.

Time for a community network of gardens to increase organic produce access, wellbeing and food security.

‘Public Forum’
Know your Food, Know your Grower

Wednesday
11th September 2024
7pm

Gold coin donation.

Why is local organic food not the norm? Learn more about fresh organic food grown by a local farmer, whom you could get to know. Ryan DeCoite is a young farmer growing a wide variety of veggies on 1.5 acres in Belgrave South. He’ll present a slideshow as he explains the benefits of ‘community supported agriculture’.

To book please call/ email/ visit our website:
9754 2039
[email protected]
www.selbyhouse.org.au

When it comes to work life balance, we think you should finish work at 12 on Fridays. Then you can come and indulge in your creative whims in our pottery sessions.
We’ll be hand building all sorts of wonderful functional and sculptural creations starting this Friday arvo and running for 8 weeks. Please email to book your spot. Only a couple of spots left.
( oh and for the regulars, we are still offering our drop in studio service at $20 a session, bring your own clay along with your ideas, or be inspired by what the class is up to)

Kids classes start back on the 17th July, Wednesday 4:00- 5:30pm.

Term 3 pottery classes kick off on Friday the 19th July.
This is time for you. For your mental health. For fun. For exploration.
Studies have shown that ‘Creativity is not an additional
extra, it is essential for being
well and staying well’
Mah Rana, Co-Director, Lived Experience Network,
Leadership and Strategy Roundtable
See this link for the whole article https://ncch.org.uk/uploads/Introduction-to-Creative-Health-Extract.pdf
Oh, and the pottery tutor Brigida will be signing people up and handing out flyers out the front of The Emerald Community Hall on Saturday from 10:30-1:30, to coincide with the Lostwoods market. Come and stick your fingers in some clay!

Preparing for spring is one way to get through the cold winter temps. A
community food garden and food swap network and are great ways to connect. Contact ECH at [email protected] if you want to participate in a local effort.

"The mental health benefits of group gardening are multifold."
https://amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/22/a-gardening-club-is-a-collective-way-to-grow-food-flowers-and-friendship

"The cost of living crisis has caused a drastic increase in the number of Australians relying on charities to put food on the table."

The 'transformative' plan to feed millions of Aussies in need and cut food waste A bill introduced to federal parliament this week aims to incentivise food businesses to donate surplus produce to charities, instead of dumping it.

out now!

Bread and non-perishables at ECH on veranda today

Term 3 at ECH. Short courses, affordable childcare for infants to grade 6, wellbeing getogethers, food projects, community, Tax Help, monthly local market, community publishing and more!
Don't be a stranger!

https://www.echvic.org.au/hills-community-focus-winter-2024/

Saturday Dig In Grocery 10-1. Turn the oven on...

Occasional care program for under 5s