A Moreton Bay farm is launching a new initiative to mobilise the community and ensure those experiencing food insecurity in 4101 have access to healthy farm grown food.
This week, Nick and Brydie Holliday of Belvedere Farm, Cedarton, introduced their new mutual aid program. Supporters of the program can cover the costs of providing nutritious food to vulnerable community members for less than the price of a coffee each month.
In Brisbane alone, over 367,000 people live below the poverty line, often priced out of a nutrient-dense diet.
The Hollidays are producers of ethically, regeneratively raised eggs, pork and beef and staunch believers that high-quality, ethical produce like theirs shouldn’t only be available to those with high incomes.
In 2022, Belvedere Farm received an outpouring of customer support following the February floods. Once repairs were made, remaining donations were (with the blessing of their community) used to provide produce to people who needed it most – catalysing this new phase.
Nick and Brydie says that if just fifty households sign up for a direct debit of $5 per month, it will provide enough produce to make hundreds of meals via their initial aid partners Feeding 4101 and West End Community House.
“With more people living on streets, more families forced to live in their cars, more people struggling to find a way to feed their families and charities pushed to breaking point, mutual aid is the answer,” Rhianon Ellis from Feeding 4101 said.
We can all do mutual aid together to contribute to our community and proactively create a kind, caring society where everyone eats, everyone is taken care of, and no one gets left behind.
We are so proud to be partnering with Belvedere Farm. We are so grateful to work with an ethical, community-minded food producer that shares our vision and allows us to nourish some of the most vulnerable people in our community Belvedere Farm’s premium products.”
The holidays stress that this isn’t charity but mutual aid. They see it as a way not just of giving people an opportunity to provide financial assistance but a way to achieve transformational change in the food system.
Donations will open access to good food for people who can’t afford it while supporting a farm that heals the country and treats animals ethically.
They also plan to ask community members to donate and participate in community events like free BBQs to break down barriers in our community. They’ll also engage with politicians and community groups to begin working on permanent solutions.
GET INVOLVED
To get involved, email belvederecedarton@gmail.com or follow @belvederecedarton on Instagram for updates.
All Images supplied – Nick, Brydie and Harlan Holliday
