The Daylesford Community Childcare Centre has been collecting eligible drink containers as a part of Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme to raise funds for “Joe’s Kitchen Garden”, an inspirational initiative that teaches children valuable lessons about growing and cooking their own produce.
Joe Bonanno is the man with a mission, the ‘Joe’ behind the kitchen garden. Mr Bonanno is an educator of the four-year-old program at the kindergarten, and is a passionate cook who has been sharing his love for food and sustainability through this hands-on learning project.
Joe Bonanno and the kids in ‘Joe’s Kitchen Garden’ at the Daylesford Community Childcare Centre.
Mr Bonanno said he had taken on most of the gardening work because he enjoys being hands-on.
“We try and eat from the garden every day even if we are just experimenting, we might go out and have a taste of something while we are there.”
“We have been growing Warrigal greens, a plant native to both Australia and New Zealand, and we had that in a pesto pasta for lunch and the kids just demolished it. Usualy they are picking out the green bits but they had multiple serves. So, we have given them a new taste and they have really done for it.”
Joe remarked that “Joe’s Kitchen Garden is a space where children can get their hands dirty and learn about the journey from garden to plate.”
“It’s about teaching them practical skills, fostering a connection to nature, and showing them the value of healthy eating.”
Container donations helping the garden grow
Collection Bags located out the front of the Daylesford Community Childcare Centre.
Joe said the recycling was providing a good return “for not a lot of effort”.
“We have some bags at the centre for anyone who wants to help and we have a few people who have chosen to fill their bags for us. It is all appreciated.”
The Community Childcare Centre is also a registered Donation Partner with the scheme, which allows people across the CDS Vic West Zone to select the “Joe’s Kitchen Garden” charity campaign as their preferred payout method via the CDS Vic West app and donate their refunds to the cause.
The team at the Daylesford Community Childcare centre are calling on the community to help collect and deposit eligible drink containers and donate these returns to the kitchen garden campaign, with the refunds going directly into this hands-on learning initiative.
Residents in the Daylesford region can visit the CDS Vic reverse vending machine located at 37-39 East Street Daylesford to return their eligible drink containers and donate the refunds to Joe’s Kitchen Garden via the app.
This article originally appeared in The Local News.
