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The Village Co’s program, ‘A Nourished Week’ can now help even more mums doing it tough, thanks to RAA.
The Adelaide not-for-profit is one of the 14 South Australian organisations to receive a grant as part of RAA’s latest Grassroots Giving round, with their $5,000 funding to help new mothers and their families by providing a week’s worth of pre-made frozen meals delivered to their door.
Stephanie Malan, The Village Co’s founder was no stranger to the struggles new mothers face. Having worked as a midwife, she witnessed first-hand the heartbreak of mothers leaving hospital without the essential items to care for their newborns.
She started The Village Co in 2018, driven by the desire to bring comfort to new mums facing overwhelming challenges.
“I knew I needed to do something to help make those first few days comfortable for these new mothers doing it tough,” she said.
The Village Co works to provide new mothers and their families with nutritious meals to help them heal post birth, freeing up time to spend with their baby without being concerned about preparing meals while also easing the financial burden of food poverty.
“With the rising cost of living, limited access to shops due to isolation, and the financial strain caused by unemployment, providing these meals to these families has a profound impact on the very essence of their well-being,” Steph said.
The impact of The Village Co’s efforts can be felt through the heartfelt words of one of their grateful recipients who said, “when I received the voucher for the meals, a deep sense of gratitude overcame me. I was waiting for my parenting payments to kick in and had no money.”
“Those meals were tasty and introduced me to new things I’d never tried before. I’d never had broccoli and really enjoyed the broccoli mac and cheese, which was also a good example of what I can start cooking at home for my son when he starts solids.”
Steph says the grant from RAA will help provide meal vouchers to 27 women and their families.
Emily Perry, RAA’s General Manager of Community and Corporate Affairs, emphasised the commitment of Grassroots Giving to improve the lives of our members and communities.
“As a mum, I know it takes a village to raise a child. We are proud to see the grant being utilised to build our community from the ground up and supporting women at such a crucial time.”
To learn more about RAA’s grant programs, visit raa.com.au/grants