Last week, we dropped in to visit the team at Indie College Bendigo, one of our 95 food relief partners based right here in the heart of Bendigo’s CBD. Indie College is a not–for-profit training and organisation that helps young people and adults reconnect with education in a flexible and supportive environment.
Their learning model is all about meeting students where they’re at — offering one-on-one or small group sessions to build skills in literacy, numeracy, technology, job readiness, and confidence. It’s a great fit for people who’ve found traditional schooling tough or who are facing other life challenges.
What really stood out to us is their genuine care for students’ wellbeing – all 75 of them who are currently enrolled. They keep a kitchen stocked with food that learners can access anytime during the day, and a pantry they can access food to take home for the whole family — because being fed is just as important as being focused. And that’s where we come in!
Over the course of our 5 year partnership, Bendigo Foodshare has supported Indie college with 19,065kg of food, having provided a delivery every week, to help keep their pantry full. It’s a simple way we can support students to stay engaged in their learning – and it’s a great example of what community collaboration can achieve.
“Often our students come in and they haven’t eaten, but they know they can always make a toastie in a safe environment and then get into some study” said Michael Waterworth, Indie College’s Lead Coach.
A big thanks to Michael, Jude and the team, for making us feel so welcome on our visit. We’re proud to partner with Indie College and look forward to finding even more ways to support their work and their students.