Justine Keay (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was pleased to connect local social enterprise Produce to the People with the Costa Group, which is seeing about 100 kilograms of strawberries each week going to those in need. Produce to the People was started in Burnie by Penelope Dodd following a bumper crop of tomatoes leading to the thought of what is happening to all the excess backyard-grown produce on the north-west coast of Tasmania? Produce to the People is situated next to Burnie High School, and utilises the school's old garden and now grows crops for harvest. It has hothouses, chooks, alpacas, storage for food and a distribution point for people to come and take home the food they need, no questions asked.

From these humble beginnings Produce to the People has gone on to help thousands of individuals and families in need in my electorate.    In February alone Produce to the People assisted 871 people, which was a 55 per cent increase in the previous year with more than 3.2 tonnes of produce grown, gathered and given. Produce to the People has an important ethos—to provide food that is nutritious and fresh. A special mention must go to Produce to the People, the volunteers, and its founder, Penelope Dodd, who has shown a determination to find solutions to keep this service operational despite funding limitations.    I would also like to thank Michael Toby at Costa's for his work in making sure this partnership was possible.