December 18th, 2024Daylesford childcare centre going green
The Daylesford Community Childcare Centre is turning empty containers into fresh opportunities with their latest initiative to raise funds for Joe’s Kitchen Garden, an inspiring project aimed at teaching children the invaluable skills of growing and cooking their own vegetables.
As a donation partner for the Container Deposit Scheme, the centre is calling on the community to collect and deposit eligible drink containers, with refunds going directly to this hands-on learning project.
At the heart of the initiative is Joe Bonanno, an educator of the four-year-old program at the kindergarten, and passionate cook who has been inspiring young minds with his love of food and sustainability.
Joe said the centre was working on three projects – a kitchen garden, a bush food garden and a garden for wildlife in the near future.
“We try to work them all in together and we also received a Landcare grant and a number of organisations have been pretty generous with donations.”
Joe said he had taken on most of the gardening work because he enjoyed being hands-on.
“We try and eat from the garden every day even if we are just experimenting, we might go out and have a taste of something while we are there.
“We have always wanted to do something in the garden that contributes to our lunch on a daily basis and the kids seem to enjoy it.
“We have been growing Warrigal greens, a plant native to both Australia and New Zealand, and we had that in a pesto pasta for lunch and the kids just demolished it.
Usually they are picking out the green bits but they had multiple serves. So, we have given them a new taste and they have really gone for it.
“Joe’s Kitchen Garden is a space where children can get their hands dirty and learn about the journey from garden to plate,” says Joe.
“It’s about teaching them practical skills, fostering a connection to nature, and showing them the value of healthy eating.”
Joe, who moved from the city to the country 11 years ago (“best thing I ever did”) said the recycling was providing a good return “for not a lot of effort”.
“We have some bags at the centre for anyone who wants to help and we have a few people who have chosen to fill their bags for us. It is all appreciated.”
The community can support this cause by depositing their eligible containers at the TOMRA Cleanaway Reverse Vending Machine at 37-39 East Street, Daylesford and donate the refunds to the Joe’s Kitchen Garden via the app.
Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Contributed
