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Category: Community

Community grants for Guyra and Armidale on offer

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Costa Tomato Exchange is once again offering support for local community organisations in the Guyra and Armidale region through its Well Grown Community Grants Program.

Costa is inviting not-for-profit community organisations, sporting associations and schools to register their interest for the 2024 program.

In 2024 we will be awarding five grants up to a total of $4000 each, with one grant to be awarded in each of the following category areas:

  • Sporting event/activity which promotes and supports healthy active lifestyles.
  • Community event which is aimed at supporting cultural diversity and/or creating strong community connections.
  • School project/initiative which enhances education or educational opportunities, particularly in the areas of healthy eating; or nutrition; or sustainability.
  • Environmental initiative/activity which promotes the enhancement of our environment.
  • Community organisation project aimed at supporting disadvantaged youth and/or Indigenous youth projects.

Organisations seeking to apply for funding will need to complete the Expression of Interest form and submit it online by 5pm Monday, February 19.

Costa operates 40-hectares of state-of-the-art tomato glasshouses across two sites in Guyra, with a production capacity of circa 20 million kgs per annum.  Costa employs more than 700 people across a variety of operational and harvest roles.

Information is available here or email Jessica.Delfos@costagroup.com.au

Volunteers help restore local environment

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A team of Pacific Island workers from the Costa Berries Corindi farm in New South Wales volunteered their time to work with the local Emerald Beach Landcare group and National Parks and Wildlife Service recently.

The group, from Fiji, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands worked on their day off to remove Senna and Lantana weeds which have been choking out native plants in the regional park north of Emerald Beach. This area has been recently added to the national park estate and their efforts will go a long way to getting it back to its natural condition.

The local Emerald Beach Landcare coordinator Graham Tupper thanked the group for their contribution in getting the regional park back to its pre-settlement condition with more food and homes for the birds and wildlife.

“So great to see the community effort, now stretching across the Pacific Ocean, to help restore and protect our local habitats,” he said.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service put on lunch for the group, who also performed a beautiful hymn in the bush setting.

 

Costa PRIMED to promote careers

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Costa has collaborated with the Western Australian Department of Education as part of the PRIMED project, designed to build greater awareness and understanding of the primary industries sector and its importance to the local economy.

The PRIMED project is an initiative between the Department of Education, the Department of Training and Workforce Development, and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

In September 2021, the Costa Berries and Mushroom farms participated in ​​a PRIMED workshop in Perth, aimed at equipping and inspiring teachers to prepare students in Years 7-12 for futures in primary industries in Western Australia by providing them an opportunity to connect with representatives from the primary industries and integrate into their curriculum delivery.

With a vision to create a food secure and sustainable world, the PRIMED resources seek to engage students to build an understanding of primary industries to improve their understanding of the diversity within primary industries and enable them to make informed career pathway choices.

As part of the ongoing project, a serious of videos highlighting opportunities in the primary industries sector are being created, including one featuring Deniz Kansak, Human Resources Manager for the Costa Casuarina Mushroom Farm.

The videos will be made available to high school teachers, to use as a resource for students in Years 7 to 9. This video featuring Deniz, was developed as a resource for Technologies: Food and Fibre but will also be useful in HASS and Science subjects.

Costa PRIMED to promote careers from Costa on Vimeo.

Costa Berries bus starts in Devonport

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Costa Berries Tasmania is trialling a four-week bus service to support local workers travelling to its farms in the Devonport area.

Cameron Folder, Costa Berries Regional Manager, said the business was partnering with local provider Merseylink to provide an additional local Devonport bus service.

“The service will commence on Monday 14 December and operate seven days a week except for Christmas Day,” Mr Folder said.

“Our recruitment team receives regular feedback that a lack of transport is a barrier for people attending work.

“Analysis of our local applications supports this and indicates a number of potential workers do not have access to transport.

“Costa has listened to those concerns and as a result we are partnering with Merseylink to subsidise a local Devonport bus service.

“The service will connect locals in Devonport to our East Devonport strawberry farm and Wesley Vale strawberry and raspberry farms providing a morning pick up and return travel.”

The cost is $2.50 each way with travellers asked to have small amounts of change to pay the driver.

“We hope this new bus service will help overcome a barrier to employment for local residents,” Mr Folder said.

“To date more than 200 Tasmanians have commenced work with Costa for the summer harvest.”

Costa Berries Tasmania is still actively recruiting and anyone who would like to join the team can apply at costagroup.com.au/pick-adventure or by calling into our East Devonport recruitment office.

Costa Berries/Merseylink bus timetable

0515 Opposite Devonport High, Best Street, Devonport

0520 Devonport Community House, Morris Avenue, Devonport

0525 Opposite Brown Bear, Berrigan Road, Miandetta

0535 Corner Torquay Road and Caroline Street, East Devonport

0540 Strawberry Farm, corner Upper Drew and Bovill Street, East Devonport

0550 Strawberry Farm, 330 Mill Road, Wesley Vale

0555 Raspberry Farm 339 Wrights Lane, Northdown.

Return services from the Northdown Raspberry Farm on the reverse route depart at 2pm and 3pm.

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