SAGE NSW Inc is getting down to business thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal.
The not-for-profit Moruya-based organisation secured the grant to develop and implement a sustainable disaster-proof business plan to help achieve its mission of creating and supporting a local sustainable food economy.
With around 100 volunteers and its members, SAGE manages Moruya’s Tuesday Farmers Market, the SAGE Community Garden, and the commercial market gardening training facility Stepping Stone Farm. It also runs education programs and a catering enterprise, grows food for worthy community causes and hosts social and community events.
SAGE president Cath Reilly said the funds enabled SAGE to hire a business manager to develop the plan, which will include business models and practical actions to identify revenue streams and improve the organisation’s capacity, ensuring its ongoing financial sustainability and resilience.
“The pandemic, fires and floods have really highlighted the need for a local, secure food economy and now more than ever SAGE is committed to making this vision a reality,” Ms Reilly said.
“We’re pleased to be working with the locally-based founder of Urban Rewild, Sharlene Cohen, to deliver our business plan, which will build on our Strategic Plan, developed in 2021.
“Over the past 13 years SAGE has achieved many positive outcomes – we want to ensure our organisation can continue to expand on these achievements and deliver for our community for decades to come.”
For more information about SAGE, including coming events, initiatives and how to become a volunteer, visit sageproject.org.au
Above: SAGE NSW vice-president Peter Heyward, president Cath Reilly, Urban Rewild’s Sharlene Cohen and SAGE committee member Sandra Makdessi.
