Open Door Neighbourhood House (ODNH) will use a $4650 grant to help continue its vital food pantry service and social connection program, Connecting Food with Community.

The funding is part of $30,000 delivered to seven local organisations through Give Wangaratta’s recent grant round, and ODNH executive officer Loretta Waters said it supports a project that provides social connections over fresh food in Wangaratta.

Ms Waters said while the pantry provides essential food and items to individuals and families facing financial hardship, Connecting Food with Community is a program using the 'social prescribing' model.

This is the practice where health services refer people to connect into support services and activities to address the social determinants contributing to poor health, loneliness and isolation.

“This program will bring participants together, they will learn about food preparation, cooking skills, increased food literacy and enhance their social interaction," Ms Waters said.

“By using food as the focus, this will also alleviate some of the anxiety around connection with others.

“We envisage those that participate in this program will increase their knowledge of food security and food literacy.

“This in turn will reduce their cost of food and will gain practical skills in preparing and cooking food, with the extra benefit of gaining an understanding of how that food was grown.

“Importantly this can then in turn be re created in their own home and broader community through sharing their skills."

The funding will allow ODNH to run a minimum of 10 cooking sessions for the community, to increase participants cooking skills and food literacy.

Ms Waters said they are so grateful for Into Our Hands and Give Wangaratta for this opportunity.

"We wouldn't be able to run this program without their financial support," she said.

“They really do champion the work that community organisations like Neighbourhood Houses do.

“Place based and community driven activities are directly responsive to our local needs, which Give Wangaratta and Into Our Hands seem to value as much as we do.

“We feel very lucky to have them here in Wangaratta.”

Other recipients of the grant round include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys to the Bush, The Centre Against Violence, Pangerang Community Hub, Thread Together, and Zonta Wangaratta.