19 October 2022
Blooming good way to grow vibrant communities
Hume Community Housing has announced the Hume in Bloom Gardening Competition which is open to all customers.
According to Community Cohesion Officer Richard Hershman, customers are embracing home and community gardening as a way of tackling cost of living challenges, at the same time reaping the social and recreational benefits.
“We’ve been focused on building vibrant connected communities and know that a love of gardening is a great way to bring people together,” said Hershman.
Over the past year Hume has been working on an initiative led by the Department of Communities and Justice Social Sector Support Fund Edible Gardens Competition. With funding and volunteer support from the Botanic Gardens' Community Greening Team, Hume secured 14 Vegepods for the Hunter. Vegepods retail for close to $500 each and are state of the art, elevated, free standing plant beds.
“We ran a competition among customers to win their own Vegepod and seed kits, and we also established community gardens in several of our housing complexes. Hume team members delivered the Vegepods to the winners and we have since helped families set up their gardens in readiness for Spring.”
Hume’s senior customers living in the Alexandra Avenue complex in Rutherford are further testimony to how community gardens connect people.
Despite lockdowns and the challenges of sourcing materials their community garden has been lovingly tended over the past year, thanks to a group of customers and volunteers from Slow Food Hunter Valley.
Their garden is now bursting with produce, from silver beet and spring onions to lettuces, broccoli, herbs and more. The garden provides much needed opportunities for the complex’s 55 senior customers to socially connect as well as encouraging physical activity.
“It’s been wonderful to see people sharing healthy seasonal fresh vegetables and with the cost of food on the rise, it’s been a welcome addition to managing the weekly food budget for many,” said Hershman.
Hume has since established four regional Shared Edible Gardens at their community housing complexes in Port Stephens and Maitland complexes.
Hume is encouraging all customers to celebrate their gardens, whether it is a little balcony garden, a sprawling backyard garden or an edible garden by entering the inaugural Hume in Bloom Gardening Competition (open to Hume customers only) which closes on the 4 November. Prizes include Vegebags, Diggers Club membership and Bunning's vouchers.