Spice of life found through Community Wellbeing Grants

2 Aug 2021

One of ten grant recipients, Building Life Skills received funding to purchase equipment and materials to set up their Herbs and Spices Program, which educates budding entrepreneurs who are living with a disability on the process of planting, growing, harvesting and processing organic herbs to make various products to sell.

Building Life Skills Director Dianne Owen said the program helps their clients find purpose and build valuable skills, contributing to their greater wellbeing.

“Clients in the program not only learn sustainable living practices, such as growing their own food and raising chickens for their eggs, but also find more economic sustainability and independence for themselves by learning to monetise these skills,” she said.

Working as a group, program participants grow and produce the organic products, such as dried herbs, dehydrated fruits and teas, and sell them at local markets and in retail stores.

“Not only is there value in being together, learning the process of tending to the garden and harvesting food, the program participants also gain business skills in the process and are engaging with the local community as well,” Dianne said.

“We have been running the Herbs and Spices Program for around six months. In that time we’ve been able to increase the number of clients in the program from 10 to 20.

“Our long term vision is to create sustainable communities within the City of Kalamunda that enable people with a disability to live independently or with support, in a well-designed, inclusive and socially engaged environment that helps them to reach their full potential.”

Building Life Skills received the grant from St John of God Midland Private Hospital’s 2020 Community Wellbeing Grants program. The program is now being held every two years, with the next round of submissions expected to be open in mid-2022.