What do a school fruit box program, a community hall renovation, a sustainable heating project, a student ‘work ready’ program and a new dishwasher all have in common?

They’re among the worthy recipients of the latest round of Hydro Tasmania’s Community and Innovation Grant programs, providing over $50,000 in funding support in 2021.

The Community Grant Program is our way of supporting diverse programs and projects that make a real difference for local people and communities.

We also introduced a special Innovation Grant program this year that allows organisations to adapt and improve their service as the effects of COVID-19 continue to be felt around the state and the country.

Hydro Tasmania Community Advisor, Kate Hickey, said the grants provided tangible and direct support to community groups to achieve great outcomes and make a difference in their communities.

“These community groups are doing great work, often with very small budgets and a volunteer workforce. A grant can make all the difference in what they can achieve,” Ms Hickey said.

“It is so rewarding to hear the stories of what the Hydro Tasmania funding has enabled these groups to accomplish. We’re seeing communities that are more connected and empowered and groups able to expand the services they offer their clients.”

The Jordan River Service (JRS) is a delighted 2021 grant recipient, receiving $4500 in funding that will allow expansion of their breakfast program to include weekly fresh fruit boxes for five local schools.

JRS is a community organisation, supporting the Bridgewater, Herdsman’s Cove and Gagebrook communities and operating two community centres at Gagebrook and Bridgewater.

In partnership with Foodbank Tasmania, JRS supply weekly breakfast provisions to five Brighton Municipality schools to enable them to run their breakfast programs.

The additional funding from Hydro Tasmania will see over 1000 children benefit from the School Fruit Boxes program, supplying a variety of yummy fresh fruit each week to ensure kids get a nutritional start to their day.

Gagebrook Community Centre Coordinator, Cheynee Pullen, said the fruit boxes were a vital part of supporting healthy eating habits for local children and the service was very grateful for the funding support.

“We want to ensure these kids have a great start to their day. Fresh fruit is a really important part of that. No-one else is doing this work and it’s so inspiring and rewarding to see the reaction of the schools and students to the fruit boxes,” Ms Pullen said.

The 2021 Community Grant recipients are:

1. Jordan River Service will use $4500 in grant funding to support their School Fruit Boxes program, ensuring kids in five regional schools get a great nutritional start to their day.
2. CareFlight will use their $5000 grant to deliver a Trauma Care workshop for volunteer first responders, giving them the skills, knowledge, critical thinking and confidence to fulfil their vital community role.
3. Reducing plastic waste and ensuring a COVID safe environment for community events will be the positive outcomes for a $4605 grant to the Flinders Island Lions Club. They’ll be purchasing a ‘touch free’ portable water bottle refill station and branded food grade water bottles.
4. The Launceston Elderly Citizens Club will keep their hall users toasty warm and ensure the hall is a welcoming space in the colder months, using our $3250 grant for upgraded hall heating.
5. A small kitchen and COVID spacing restrictions are making things harder for staff in food preparation and clean up at the Oatlands Community Association so they plan to use their $3410 grant to improve kitchen facilities by installing a new dishwasher.
6. The Lower Barrington Community Hall is getting a much needed spruce-up with our $5000 grant allowing the Committee to do an external make-over of decaying weatherboards, weathered window trims and wall edging plus apply a fresh coat of paint.

The 2021 Innovation Grant recipients are:

1. Cancer Council Tasmania will use our $8400 grant to run online health programs for those who are isolated for health or geographical reasons, directly benefiting a large number of patients undergoing (or who recently completed) cancer treatment.
2. Smithton High School’s Life Lab will benefit from a $9900 grant to create a new outdoor area (including a large garden area), making the space more practical and useable in all weather and allowing the Life Lab to take on more students and projects. 
3. The Great Lake Community Centre’s sustainable heating project will get a $10,000 boost for phase one, allowing upgraded heating to reduce the committee’s electricity bills and improve ongoing financial viability.

You can read more about our grant recipients here.