Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation extends partnership with Saputo Dairy Australia
8 February 2024
Key facts
- As the 2024 school calendar year kicks off, Saputo Dairy Australia (SDA) has renewed its partnership with the Foundation.
- The Foundation supports education facilities nationally to deliver more than 3 million kitchen garden experiences for students each year.
- More than 1 million children, their families and broader communities have benefitted from education in food nutrition since the Foundation was established.
- The Foundation’s impactful Kitchen Garden Program runs in more than 1,000 schools and early childhood services across Australia.
As students across the country return to school, Saputo Dairy Australia (SDA) has renewed its funding partnership with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, to continue their mutual priority to build healthy, resilient Australians and communities. SDA has contributed almost $1,000,000 to the Foundation since 2019.
The continuation of the partnership for a further two years means the Foundation can allocate 100% of funds to continue the impactful work of its world-recognised Kitchen Garden Program, founded by Stephanie Alexander AO. The Program is led by the Foundation’s expert training team, which delivers practical, fun and flexible professional development sessions that establish food literacy skills in students and the role of nutritious foods from garden to plate. This renewed partnership will go on to benefit children and young people, their schools and services, families and surrounding communities.
“Investing in the capacity of the Foundation enables us to reach more schools and early childhood services right across the country. Partnerships such as this, are vitally important for the longevity of the Kitchen Garden Program, and our growing community place-based projects. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary this year, we are proud to continue having Saputo Dairy Australia as part of our kitchen garden family.” Dr Cathy Wilkinson, CEO of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.
“Since 2019, our partnership with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation has helped to deliver practical food education to children around the country. Together, we are promoting healthy lifestyle habits through responsible food and nutrition choices and we are excited to join the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation for another two years.” Gerard Lourey, Saputo Dairy Australia Operations Director.
The Foundation supports SDA’s dairy advocacy by providing nutritional information about dairy as part of a balanced diet, while promoting significant dairy events and producing free educational resources to our engaged audience of school communities and families across Australia.
Volunteers from the SDA team have recently rolled up their sleeves and engaged in Kitchen Garden Programs at three schools across Tasmania and regional Victoria, with planning underway for further visits. After witnessing the magic of a Kitchen Garden Program in action, SDA staff showed these students how delicious and nutritious dairy can be, by preparing and sharing a dairy-inspired lunch.
-ENDS-
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About the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation
The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation founded by Stephanie Alexander AO at Collingwood College in 2001. The Foundation inspires and equips educators to run a Kitchen Garden Program that fits their individual school or service needs. The Kitchen Garden Program is recognised worldwide as a proven, impactful, curriculum-linked framework that delivers learning, wellbeing and sustainability benefits for children and young people and the families and communities that surround them. The Foundation supports more than 1,000 Australian early childhood services, primary and secondary schools all over Australia – and this community is growing.
About Saputo Dairy Australia
Saputo Dairy Australia produces, markets and distributes a wide range of high quality dairy and non-dairy products for the domestic and international markets including cheese, dairy alternative cheese, fluid milk, extended shelf-life milk and cream products, cultured products and dairy ingredients. Saputo is a leading dairy processor in Australia and is part of Saputo Inc., one of the top ten dairy processors in the world. Saputo Dairy Australia products are sold in several countries under well-known brand names such as Caboolture, CHEER™, Cracker Barrel*, Devondale, Great Ocean Road, King Island Dairy, Liddells, Mersey Valley, MG Ingredients, Mil Lel, Sheese, South Cape, Sungold and Tasmanian Heritage.
Visit us online: www.saputodairyaustralia.com.au | www.saputo.com
*Cracker Barrel is a registered trademark of Lactalis Heritage Dairy used under licence.
Media enquiries: Please contact Hayley McKee, Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, Communications Lead Hayley.mckee@kitchengardenfoundation.org.au or 0413 421 038.
Interview available: Dr Cathy Wilkinson, CEO, Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. Photos available on request.
