General News
7 August, 2026
Grant secures greenhouse future
Maryborough's Mill House received $12,500 in the latest round of Elders Community Giving Project.
Maryborough’s Mill House will transform their crumbling greenhouse into a community asset thanks to funding from Elders’ community grant program.
Mill House Neighbourhood House received $12,500 last week through this year’s Elders Community Giving Project.
The funds will go towards ‘Grow, Cook, Share: An Inclusive Community Greenhouse Project’, delivered by Mill House in partnership with are-able.
The project will see young adults with disability involved throughout — from restoration through to growing food.
The initiative aims to create opportunities to build participants practical skills, confidence, and work readiness while providing fresh food for the neighbourhood house’s food relief programs.
Mill House’s manager Sarah McLean said it was “very, very exciting” to receive the funding — they are the first local recipient of the national grant.
“It’s been a lot of work to get the project together but I think it’s going to really benefit lots of people,” she said.
Mill House offers many food relief programs including community lunches, a weekly market, and low cost frozen meals.
Ms McLean said they’re initiatives which are increasingly being used by the local community.
“Our food security is getting more and more in demand every single week. The more food we can get into the kitchen the more meals we can cook,” Ms McLean said.
It’s a trend seen in other local food relief programs, and in the data, with last year’s Active Living Census finding 22.5 percent of Central Goldfields Shire’s respondents reported low and very low food security — among the highest in the Loddon Mallee region.
Elders Avoca’s Narelle Lobb said Mill House’s project addressed several local needs at once — both for young adults with disability and improving access to nutritious food.
“It builds on strong local partnerships and makes great use of existing community infrastructure to create benefits that will continue well into the future,” she said.
“I’m proud that we can support initiatives that strengthen our small community. This project is a great example of local people coming together to make a meaningful difference.”
The annual Elders Community Giving Project supports grassroot projects which make an impact in regional communities.
It’s expected to return for its fourth year in 2027 with applications opening in March.
Further information can be found on Elders’ website.