Food Ladder and ONE80TC partnership wins NAB’s highest category of funding, and delivers new opportunities for recovering young men
For Immediate Release
July 2014
[Australia] Sydney based non-profit organisations Food Ladder and ONE80TC have announced the joint receipt of $100,000 from The National Australia Bank (NAB) Community Grant to expand its social enterprise.Working in collaboration since January 2014, Food Ladder has provided its innovative greenhouse growing technology and an education partnership with Tafe, to support ONE80TC’s rehabilitation center for 50 drug and alcohol addicted young men at Yarramundi in Western Sydney.
Paula Benson, General Manager of Corporate Responsibility, NAB, acknowledged the strength and innovation of this unique model.
“Food Ladder and ONE80TC attracted the eye of the judges because it is a great example of how working collaboratively can deliver economic, social and environmental outcomes,” Paula said.
“The program has the power to transform lives, providing new employment opportunities for men following their rehabilitation and as they transition away from addictions.”
The inaugural $100,000 grant is the highest category of funding delivered by the bank to any community organisation.
Food Ladder has shared its intellectual property and sustainable business model to support the rehabilitation center as it strives for financial independence and grows its capacity to support young men.
“In ONE80TC, we found a partner who understood the value in our approach,” said Alex Shead, Food Ladder Director.
“Food Ladder is the result of more than 6 years of social enterprise development and innovation which we have pioneered in Australia.”
“Whilst we remain committed to using business to create lasting social change, we are also providing a solution to food insecurity which is becoming further exacerbated with the effects of climate change.”
In this way, ours is a holistically sustainable model; a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable solution to food insecurity.”
The partnership has already delivered meaningful change for 13 of the 50 young men engaged in the 12 month rehabilitation program. Last week the initial participants completed a 10 week course in Horticulture receiving a certificate of accreditation thanks to an onsite course facilitated by Tafe’s Outreach program.
The certification will provide the men with new opportunities for employment post their rehabilitation and a new way of life. The outreach program is run in the Food Ladder greenhouse and surrounding gardens, and has become a mainstay program for the center offering education in everything from horticulture and small business management, to environmental sustainability and bush regeneration.
The initial success has paved the way for a much more extensive sustainable produce enterprise at the rehabilitation center that will be expanded and diversified over the next 12 months. A new 10 week course has recently commenced for the next cohort of willing participants and it is anticipated that with Tafe support there will be 4 courses run annually creating opportunities for approximately 50 men a year.
For more information please contact Kelly McJannett at [email protected] or +61 412620871.
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