Food Fairness Illawarra's Annual "Connecting over Fair Food" event

Mark your calendars for this year's event at the Shellharbour Civic Centre on the evening of October 18th, from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Our theme, "Know, Share, Grow," centres on the actions we can collectively take as a community to foster a more sustainable, resilient food system in the Illawarra region.

Our lineup of speakers includes Manu Prigioni, co-founder of the remarkable social enterprise Farm It Forward in the Blue Mountains. Manu, known for her recent appearances on Gardening Australia and her inspiring TedX Katoomba talk, coordinates Farm It Forward, connecting local residents with unused land to passionate young individuals dedicated to growing local food. Manu's passion lies in creating a space for community interconnection and positive social engagement, earning her a Greater Sydney Local Landcare Service Landcare Farming award. Manu will be joined by local speakers Sarah Anderson and Suzy Pickles from Foodtalks Illawarra and Narelle Happ from A Garden for Life.

Building on the success of last year, our event will once again feature a roving Crop Swap, encouraging all backyard, verge, and balcony growers to bring surplus produce to exchange with fellow attendees. Whether it's a surplus of garden greens, excess mulberries, herbs, seeds, or even trimming from your bay leaf tree or rosemary, crop swaps promote local community building, reduce food waste, and offer the opportunity to eat better for less.

To top off the evening, you will be treated to a screening of "Rachel's Farm," a compelling documentary featuring intimate interviews with Rachel, her family, and those who have inspired her on her journey from the world of entertainment to the world of farming. This film offers a unique insight into her transformation from ecological ignorance about conventional agriculture to embracing a movement aimed at restoring the health of Australia's farmland, food, and climate.

Connecting over Fair Food is an annual event organised by Food Fairness Illawarra, in partnership with Shellharbour City Council, Wollongong City Council and Kiama Council, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, University of Wollongong and Healthy Cities Illawarra.
The Illawarra is home to a broad range of food producers, initiatives, advocates, and educators who all work towards a better food system.

“Connecting over Fair Food celebrates the great variety of producers and food-based initiatives we have here in the Illawarra. Bringing us together to connect, get inspired and explore what role we each can play when it comes to our food.” said Berbel Franse, event organiser and Program Manager at Healthy Cities Illawarra.
Shellharbour City Mayor Chris Homer said he was proud of Council’s ongoing association with the event.

“Shellharbour City Council is committed to supporting residents with net zero and sustainability at home. In 2022, Council committed to reaching net zero community emissions by 2050,” Mayor Homer said.

“Food waste has the largest impact to overall community emissions – overall waste emissions generated 23 thousand tonnes of CO2e in 2019 - so working collaboratively with other stakeholders to harness fresh ideas and find solutions is very exciting,” he said.

Attendees from past Connecting Over Fair Food events said they enjoyed the community connectedness and passion they felt on the night.

“I liked the bringing together of passionate community members and groups. The range of speakers demonstrated the breadth of action that is happening in this area in our region,” one said.

Tickets for this event can be through Eventbrite and include a Darkes Cider and a local dinner box on arrival.