Warm welcome

Welcome to Adele Gray and family (Gaz 10/11) As a fellow newly-arrived, I have also found that Warragul is a warm community in which to live and Baw Baw is indeed a lovely area in which to recreate.

The questions that Adele raise are significant questions and do not have a simplistic answer.

It is important that as a community we continue to explore issues of poverty, food security, equitable access to resources, social inclusion, and more.

I encourage all interested parties to explore the shire's and West Gippsland Healthcare Group's websites to see the longterm projects that have been addressing these issues with the many and varied opportunities available to all community members.

The Baw Baw Food Movement, highlighted in the Gazette on October 13 also provides information about opportunities for locals and visitors to partner with local growers and producers, service providers, community groups, and education providers to contribute to the health and wellbeing of fellow community members.

If interested, volunteers may want to contact local food relief agencies or philanthropic clubs to give time and interest in supporting others. There is an abundant variety of food markets throughout the shire which display some of our finest produce and which make for a great day out.

To explore the highlighted issues more deeply, material by Bridges Out of Poverty is a useful starting point to support discussion about what we as a community can do to help. At the end of the day, when we have done as much as we can until the next day, a smile in the supermarket aisle helps remind each other that we are all neighbours. Thanks for the warm welcome myself, Warragul