The Hellenic Initiative (THI) Australia last week announced that it will be funding the Boroume Farmer’s Market Program with a $36,000 grant.

The announcement was made at the Halandri Farmers’ Market, where four volunteers from Melbourne joined the Boroume team to collect produce at the end of the day’s trading.

“The Hellenic Initiative Australia is proud to be supporting Boroume’s at the Farmers’ Market program because of the impact it is making, not just in saving food and helping people, but in encouraging volunteerism and building solidarity with the people of Greece,” said THI Australia President Nicholas Pappas.
Since the program started in October 2015, NGO Boroume has saved and offered over 50,000 kilograms of fresh produce and currently coordinates the collection of surplus fresh produce from 10 weekly farmers’ markets in Athens and Attica with plans to expand outside Athens.

The grant follows a $40,000 grant from THI Australia in 2015-16 to support Boroume’s Food Saving Program, building upon the partnership between the two countries, which started two years ago. Since the THI Australian Volunteering Program launched in February this year, more than 30 Australians have signed up to volunteer with the Greek organisation.

Boroume co-founder Alexandros Theodoridis expressed his thanks to THI Australia for enabling their expansion.

“This is one of our most important programs as it directly saves food from local farmers’ markets, which are held every week in every neighbourhood in Greece. It’s a win-win-win-win program because the traders are happy to not waste food and donate it to people in need, the charities are happy to receive fresh produce, the volunteers are happy to participate in such a rewarding program and it has a positive impact on the environment by reducing food waste,” Mr Theodoridis said.

“We also are very pleased to have so many volunteers from the diaspora supporting Boroume this year through our partnership with THI Australia.”

In June, Boroume was named as a recipient of the 2017 European Citizen Awards.

For more on THI Australia, visit au.thehellenicinitiative.org/ and for information on Boroume, visit boroume.gr/