• $10,000 grant to Ashford Business Council’s Food for Thought celebration lunch
• Ashford Business Council one of 19 organisations across Australia to receive the grant
• Part of Community and Philanthropy Partnerships Week from 5 to 11 December

The Deputy Prime Minister and Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce said Ashford Business Council Inc will receive $10,000 for “Food for thought - A celebration lunch for collaboration between the Council, 2 Rivers Pty Ltd and friends”, during the upcoming Community and Philanthropy Partnership Week.

“Ashford Business Council is one of 19 organisations across Australia receiving a share of $152,800 to be used to showcase community business partnerships,” Mr Joyce said.

“It is great that our local organisation and our community will be part of a national celebration of philanthropy, the Community and Philanthropy Partnerships Week, held this year between 5 to 11 December.

“The celebration lunch will be a terrific opportunity for Ashford Business Council to share their knowledge and best practice about their partnership with 2 Rivers and Friends and other local groups,” he said.

Ashford Business Council Secretary, Connie Minos, said the Council had been formed about 15 years ago to further economic development and to establish a Rural Transaction Centre in Ashford.

She said the ABC had partnered with a privately owned organisation called 2 Rivers to establish the Ashford Salami Festival, which was held for the first time last year and bought 2000 people into the town with its population of 600.

“Now the Festival is looking to become an annual event,” Mrs Minos said.

“We’ve identified there are between 17 and 20 different cultural backgrounds here in Ashford and the making of salami has been a big tradition in the area for decades.”

Mrs Minos said Italian, Greek and Sardinian communities had strong roots in the community and reunions – or back to Ashford events, generated plenty of public interest.

She said 2 Rivers and the ABC were in the process of entering a contracted agreement to seek out funding and grant opportunities which would help the Ashford community to continue to proposer.

The next Salami Festival will be held in Ashford on the weekend of 15 October.

Minister for Social Services, Christian Porter, applauded the importance of what is being achieved at the grassroots, every day, to strengthen communities across Australia.

“I congratulate each of these organisations and commend the businesses or philanthropic organisation they work with in communities across Australia,” Mr Porter said.

Community and Philanthropy Partnerships Week are delivered by Philanthropy Australia in partnership with the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.

For more information on Community and Philanthropy Partnerships Week, including information on the grants, visit www.communitypartnerships.com.au/