Community Partner Story – Community Gro

What began as a small community centre in Townsville has grown into a vibrant hub for food, connections and opportunity. Community Gro is a safe, welcoming place for families and individuals doing it tough, offering support and connection when it’s needed most. 

With fresh and frozen meals, pantry staples, a small op shop, and a variety of other donated essentials, everything donated is given back to the community at no cost. Community Gro provides help for people at every stage of their journey. Whether someone needs a hot meal or a listening ear, there’s always help, and a warm welcome, waiting side. 

A key part of the centre’s offering is their ready-made, low-cost frozen meals, which anyone can purchase. Every dollar made from these meals is reinvested into buying more ingredients to cook even more meals — creating a cycle of support that the whole community gets behind. Volunteers, staff, and locals come together in the kitchen, turning compassion into action. 

Thanks to support from Foodbank Queensland, Community Gro has been able to purchase essential items that are often harder to come by — including meat, eggs, and fresh produce. 

“We have been able to purchase more food for our community with the support of Foodbank,” says Colleen, Manager at the Garbutt Community Centre. 

Beyond food, Community Gro is transforming lives through wrap-around services, offering financial resilience, support groups, educational classes and other support services. Their Youth Hub is also thriving, with over 100 kids regularly participating in cooking classes, homework help, and fun activities like fishing. 

Looking ahead, Community Gro is working towards developing a supported alternative learning centre — another step in their efforts to uplift and empower the diverse Townsville community. 

From meals to mentorship, Community Gro is more than a food hub — it’s a place of possibility. 

If you are in a position to help Foodbank Queensland provide more food across the state to support Queenslanders in need, please consider joining the fight against hunger as a regular giver.