Harvey Community Resource Centre celebrates completion of new outdoor kitchen bought through FRRR grant

The Harvey Community Resource Centre has a sizzling-hot new addition to its premises thanks to a grant program supporting rural communities. Volunteers and staff tested out the centre’s new outdoor kitchen at its Christmas party last weekend. The Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal awarded $7272 to the organisation earlier this year through the Strengthening Rural Communities program to buy the new piece of equipment, but it has not been put together until recently due to difficulties finding people to do so. Harvey CRC manager Tracey-Ann Davies thanked the organisation for its support, with the new facility to be located in the undercover area of the community garden. “Our community will have many opportunities during the new year to try the kitchen out themselves, either when participating in our variety of outdoor workshops, or if they wish to try it out for their own family or community functions,” she said. “A special thank you as well to Marcia Blake, our talented volunteer, who generously gave up her time to put the outdoor kitchen together.” The centre’s new facility will be available for hire. FRRR Place Portfolio Lead Jill Karena said the organisation continues to see a demand for support in maintaining or upgrading community spaces, halls and hubs. “This kind of infrastructure is so important when it comes to keeping small communities connected, particularly during the ongoing recovery and resilience-building process that rural Australia is currently facing,” she said.