NRCF Foundation Supports Community Kitchen at FSN

Family Support Network would like to convey our deep gratitude to the Northern Rivers Community Foundation for supporting the installation of a purpose-built community kitchen at our premises through their Annual Community Grants 2025/26.

The Community Infrastructure Fund stream of this grant program funded the installation of a compliant, stainless-steel kitchen within Family Support Network’s premises in Lismore. The kitchenette supports us to provide a warm, safe, and hygienic space where families can access healthy, nutritious snacks or meals during one of our 5 free playgroups sessions each week. This also extends to catering for school holiday programs and parenting programs hosted at our Child, Family and Community Hub. With a flood resistant, compliant kitchen, FSN can also host public events supporting community connection and engagement.

The new purpose-built kitchen also provides an appropriate space to prepare and clean-up children’s messy play, supporting the provision of age-appropriate art and craft activities for building essential skills such as creativity, fine motor, cognitive function, hand-eye coordination, communication, sensory exploration, and emotional wellbeing.

Infrastructure plays a huge role in nurturing child development, facilitating family-centred support and helping families to build meaningful social connections within their community. The impact of the Northern Rivers Community Foundation’s Community Infrastructure Fund on FSN’s service provision and reach can’t be underestimated – this project is already benefiting hundreds of vulnerable families, parents, caregivers, and children in the Lismore LGA.

Likewise, the impact of community grants for small NGOs like ours cannot be understated. In an environment of highly competitive grant funding and increasingly tighter margins, we rely on philanthropic community funding to sustain and enhance the provision of quality family support services. Access to community grants and partnerships with organisations like the Northern Rivers Community Foundation are essential for meeting the emerging needs of our community.

We’d like to acknowledge the enormous effort that goes into fundraising behind the scenes – the Northern Rivers Community Foundation have put in the groundwork to raise funds so we can concentrate our efforts on our core work – delivering support services to the most vulnerable children and families in our community. We’d also like to take this opportunity to express gratitude for the philanthropic commitment of local individuals and businesses who give generously to these community organisations – all this effort and funding makes a significant difference to our community.