Latrobe Health Assembly in partnership with the Central West Gippsland Primary Care Partnership and the Latrobe Community Health Service have launched the Culturally Appropriate Food – Community Connector Project.
COVID-19 and the resulting restrictions has highlighted several previously under-reported concerns for our regions Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities when it comes to being able to source culturally appropriate foods.
Initial insights from community members with a wide range of backgrounds show that many communities travel extremely long distances to buy foods linked to their cultures or required for religious reasons.
Community member, Bosseda told us “I help my African community, I purchase bulk food from Dandenong, Springvale, Footscray and other places. Community members come to my place and collect it”.
The project research stage has identified Bosseda’s story is all too common. Latrobe Health Assembly Chair Ms Tanya Rong said “COVID has shown how tough it can be for CALD cohorts to hold on to their cultural heritage while making a new home in our great community”.
On July 26, 2021, the Community Connector Project will be hosting a free forum for Latrobe Valley based hospitality business and the wider community to come along and hear about the research and learn about ways you can help our CALD community feel more at home within our region.
For more information and to register for this event, please visit https://www.healthassembly.org.au/projects/community-connectors/
If you can’t attend the session but would like to find out more or provide your own input into the research, please visit the above link, here you will find several ways you can get involved.
