Funding for local food projects
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Maedhbh Gordon, CEO Silver Arch, and Claire Gill, Team Lead Wellbeing Services at the Silver Arch Family Resource Centre in Nenagh, that will benefit from the €1.5 million in funding that has been announced by Safefood under its Community Food Initiatives Progreamme. Alan PlaceImage 2 of 3
Pictured from left are Emmer Duggan, Knockanrawley Resource Centre Manager in Tipperary Town; Lisa Linehan, Slaintecare Community Food and Nutrition Worker, and Lisa Kennedy, Gardiner Community Development SICAP. The Tipperary Town Centre is one that will benefit from the funding in the Premier County. Alan PlaceImage 3 of 3
Pictured from left are Ian Culhane, Migrant Programme Manager; Tara Keane, Regional Manager; Paul O’Sullivan, Fundraising Coordinator, and Niall Garvey, CEO. Representatives from Mid West Simon Community, Limerick, which is one of 28 community projects to be awarded a share of €1.5 million of Safefood Community Food Initiatives funding aimed at positively influencing the eating habits of people in low-income communities across the island of Ireland. For more information, visit www.safefood.net/community-food-initiatives. Photo: Alan Place Alan PlaceSafefood has announced a significant €1.5 million investment in its Community Food Initiatives Programme 2025-’28, with key projects across Tipperary set to receive funding. This four-year initiative aims to positively influence the eating habits of people in low-income communities throughout the island of Ireland, fostering lasting change and strengthening community resilience around healthier eating.
The Tipperary-based organisations receiving funding are:
- Knockanrawley Resource Centre: Serving communities in Tipperary town and surrounding areas, this project will deliver cooking and food waste initiatives to low-income families and vulnerable groups. Digital food education and interactive content, such as live cooking demonstrations, recipe challenges, and Q&A sessions with nutritionists, will help keep topics engaging and accessible. The project also aims to establish peer-led support networks - people trained as community ambassadors or peer educators - who will serve as role models and provide support to others. Pilot mobile food security units (such as pop-up stalls bringing fresh produce and nutrition information directly into under-served areas) are also planned.
- Silver Arch Family Resource Centre: Serving communities in North Tipperary, this project will deliver the Healthy Food Made Easy model with elements of Stop Food Waste and Financial Literacy. It will focus on older adults living alone or socially isolated in the community and families with children. The project also aims to create participant-led stories capturing personal experiences and the impact of their work in the community.
- Mid West Simon Community: This project, serving communities in Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary, will deliver classes in food budgeting, cooking, meal planning, and reducing food waste, as well as cultural food sharing events. They also plan to create simple, participant-driven recipe collections and budgeting tips aimed at low-income households, vulnerable groups, and isolated individuals in the local community.
Welcoming the launch of Safefood’s Community Food Initiatives Programme, Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, said: “Unhealthy food choices are increasingly becoming the norm, impacting the health of our population. I am encouraged by the focus of Safefood’s Community Food Initiatives, which are more than just a source of learning about food; they build practical skills and knowledge at the grassroots level. I welcome that these local projects foster connections within communities, aiming to create a future where healthy eating is realistic, achievable, and accessible to all.”
Dr Gary A Kearney, Chief Executive, Safefood, continued: “We’re excited to launch our latest round of Safefood Community Food Initiatives. They have a proven track record of effectiveness and success, and we want to extend their impact by doubling the scale and increasing the scope of our work to include not only good nutritional and healthy eating help but also including tips and tricks around food safety for members of the public. In addition to the 28 projects, which will be funded for four years that have been announced, we are introducing a new cross border partnership that will fund a further four cross border projects. We will also be funding 25 additional one-off community projects each year under the scheme.
“This year marks 15 years since we first started working among communities and more than 65,000 people have taken part since then. By supporting people in low-income communities, these projects have the potential to create long-lasting changes in how people shop, plan and cook food. Ultimately, this work is about improving the access to, and availability of, healthy and safe food in our communities.”
The Safefood initiative will support each group to establish, manage, and sustain a local food initiative that promotes lasting behaviour change and strengthens community resilience around healthier eating.
FURTHER DETAILS
For more information on The Community Food Initiatives (CFI) Programme 2025–2028 visit: www.safefood.net/community-food-initiatives.