Fairs, Fetes and Fundraisers

Fairs and fetes are not only a staple for school fundraising, but also a great place to showcase beautiful, freshly grown produce and bring the community together beyond the school gates. 

Every year, we hear of new ways that Kitchen Garden Program member schools are creatively using fairs and fetes to engage the wider community in pleasurable food education and the joys of growing, harvesting, preparing, and sharing. 

Surfside Primary School, VIC

Surfside Primary School in Ocean Grove, Victoria, run their annual Fresh Food Fair at the end of each school year, bringing together the community and raising funds for the school’s Kitchen Garden Program.

Last November, Grade 6 students prepared delicious dishes using the fresh harvest from their school garden. Families and visitors were tempted with a variety of tasty curries, pastries, barbecued veggie pancakes, fruit salad, and even cold glasses of refreshing homemade lemonade. Community members were able to browse and purchase from the Garden Stall, which included preserves , beetroot chutney, and fresh cordial made in the school’s kitchen. 

Students prepping some freshly harvested lemons for their Fresh Food Fair. Image courtesy of Surfside Primary School.

Birregurra Primary School, VIC 

In regional Victoria, Birregurra Primary School’s annual Market Day involves the entire school community by including an all-school talent show and a morning tea for parents, followed by market stalls for the rest of the day. 

Last year, the Grade 5 and 6 students spent months brainstorming creative stall ideas to raise funds and actively engage their peers and community in the fresh fun, with the help of Lesley Hendy, our Healthy Kids Advisor for the Colac Otway Shire. 

There was something for everybody, with a variety of stalls ranging from throwing water balloons at teachers to the old-time favourite ‘guess how many beans in the jar’! These weren’t your usual jelly beans in a jar, but special beans grown and harvested directly from the school’s kitchen garden which were shelled and counted by students. 

Telarah Public School, NSW

Over in New South Wales, Telarah Public School are proud stallholders at the Hunter Valley Slow Food Earth Market, where they sell organic produce grown in their Kitchen Garden Program including seasonal vegetables, fruits and flowers and herbs. 

Sharing this bountiful harvest has continuously brought delicious, seasonal food to the wider community and enabled the students to show off their stunning work. Being a part of the wider team of local producers, growers and businesses participating in the Earth Market has encouraged them to engage with the wider community and fund the future of their beautiful garden.

Birregurra Primary School’s ‘guess how many beans are in the jar’ activity. 

Portland North Primary School, VIC

Each year in the Shire of Glenelg, Portland North Primary School, supported by Jane Killmister the local Healthy Kids Advisor, holds a community-wide fair to raise money for the school camp to Canberra.

Last year, the fair was bigger than ever, as the entire community gathered to celebrate the school’s 150th anniversary. This day of fresh fun and excitement involved stalls selling beautiful plants and seedlings encouraging members of the community to get started on, or add to, their own gardens, and a stunning community cookbook, put together by the school using resources from the Shared Table.