Community Food Hubs: from garden to table...

Food Hub menu at Papatoetoe

I love the idea of having community Food hubs like the one out in Papatoetoe, where people can go to learn about growing fresh veggies either in their own back yard or in local community gardens.

With the concept of 'garden to table' so that you are able to grow your own veggies and then take it straight to the table after cooking rather than store-bought food. This is like going back to basics when food was sourced locally for consumption, like back in the islands.

This is a concept that has recently been promoted in schools for the past few years and it's encouraging to see children growing veggies in small school garden plots and then learning to turn those into meals with food to share for friends and family.

The added bonus of our local Papatoetoe Food Hub is that not only is the food grown locally but a cafe has been set up so that those who may not have the time to cook are then able to purchase well made, healthy foods for a fraction of the price that they might do in a restaurant. Group meetings can also be had at the venue and it has a nice atmosphere for friends to get together either indoors or outside.

I've also heard that in some church communities, community gardens have become a source of food for sharing with local communities through shared meals or soup kitchen outreaches. This then brings families from the community into shared spaces to share weekly meals together and to get support if needed.

Yesterday, I enjoyed the veggie soup meal with my beloved enjoying the various curries at the Papatoetoe Food Hub and found out that next week they are opening from Monday to Thursday from 10 am to 2-3 pm.

It's definitely an initiative that I'm supporting and hoping that we get to see develop all over Auckland...