Shopping at Market makes a VERY real difference to the lives of many 

When you shop with us, you are not only supporting local farmers and their families, you’re making a very real difference to the lives of many people both here and overseas. We’ve provided support for global organisations, health foundations and much-needed medical aid, to the local fire brigade, grants for local schools and individual refugees. Rotary Club of Hall is consistently working towards providing support to as many people as possible 
– SARAH POWER, CAPITAL REGION FARMERS MARKET MANAGER

 

When you shop at Capital Region Farmers Market you are really buying

produce with purpose.

DID YOU KNOW: All profits raised by Capital Region Farmers market are distributed back into the community by our Founders, the Rotary Club of Hall.  

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY: Since our beginnings in 2004, Market stallholder fees have been allocated to local, regional, national and international projects – with close to $4 million in community funding provided since 2004.   

Celebrating 20 years in 2024, we reflect on the many ways we have provided invaluable support, all thanks to the customers who come to shop at Market each week.  

Some recent projects the Market has supported include: 

The GO Foundation (and other scholarships) 

The Rotary Club of Hall’s desire to balance the scales for Indigenous children in the Capital Region through cultural 

and educational support led to a collaboration with footballers Adam Goodes and Michael O’Laughlin in establishing a Canberra Region version of their scholarship program.  $300,000 has been provided to date.   This also aligns with our many other substantial scholarships that support students in our region.   

The Mulch Project 
The Market has supported the project over a number of years with purchasing equipment and other needs for this outstanding permaculture gardening project for people with disabilities.  mulch is a social enterprise enabling young adults with a disability to develop skills and build community connections through work in the horticultural enterprise.   

Cure Brain Cancer Foundation  
In 2017, a $50,000 donation helped the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation bring the international BIOMEDE clinical trial to Australia, giving hope to children with DIPG (a lethal type of brain tumor.)  

Wallaroo Fire Brigade 

The Market funded shed construction for the Wallaroo Fire Brigade.  

ROMAC (Rotary Overseas Medical Aid for Children)  

Life-changing or life-saving and complex operations for children happen regularly in Canberra through ROMAC.  Medical staff and community volunteers provide the support network for however many months it may take. ROMAC provides surgical treatment to around 50 children from Oceania every year in Australia and New Zealand. Hall Rotary has been providing the partial or whole ACT medical access expenses of one child a year (up to $6000) for over a decade.  

Abbas Hussaini 
Our Club also provides targeted help to individuals in need. 

As a refugee, Abbas was the first principal of a volunteer school (the Learning Nest in Cisarua) for refugee children which the Rotary Club helped with funds for rent and materials.  As a new arrival in Australia, Abbas was helped by Rotary first to get his driver’s license, then with a car and other items essential for re-starting life after a disaster, and for his family to join him.  

Some other initiatives assisted with profits derived from the Market include: 

• A commitment of $100,000 to Canberra’s leading medical charity, the John James Foundation. This amount will be used to aid future extension works to their John James Village – housing that provides accommodation respite assistance to leukaemia patients and their families. 
• A commitment to funding a community nurse for Parkinson’s sufferers in the region via Parkinsons ACT, of up to $150,000. 
• A donation of $50,000 to the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation to assist with their mission of increasing five-year brain cancer survival to 50% by 2023. 
• A commitment to a 3-year funding programme of $30,000 per year towards a joint initiative, with other Rotary Clubs in Melbourne and Alice Springs, to end trachoma as an endemic disease in Central Australian communities. 
• Assistance with an on-board computer for the Snowy Hydro South Care helicopter 
• The Rotaract Park BBQ and shelter in Young 
• Lighting at the Crookwell Memorial Oval 
• Rotary Flicks Trailer for West Wyalong 
• Sensory Magical Musical Mushroom Garden for Cranleigh School 
• Support for St Vincent de Paul Night Patrol in Canberra 
• Support for Painting with Parkinsons 
• Support for NICU at Canberra Hospital 

To find out more on these and other Rotary Club of Hall projects assisted by profits from the Capital Region Farmers Market, download a pdf copy of Rotary Club of Hall Year in Review. 

Be sure to keep up-to-date with all of the ways we’re creating #ProduceWithPurpose by subscribing to our monthly e-newsletter. 

For more information on the Rotary Club of Hall, visit our website.