Home - Food Is Free

We’re a community led
not-for-profit providing
food security and education.

Building community resilience and environmental awareness by providing education about living sustainably, growing and sharing fresh nutritious food, since 2014.

Community-led not-for-profit Ballarat-based Food Is Free Inc. focuses on disadvantaged community, with the purpose of assisting food security, education, and community inclusion.

The Food Is Free movement in Australia started at Food Is Free Laneway (305 Ripon St Sth, on cnr of Warrior Place, Ballarat/Wadawurrung) on 18th October, 2014 by founder/Director Lou Ridsdale.

Inspired by John VanDeusen Edwards, (founder of Food Is Free in USA), plus Ron Finley (The Gangster Gardener, South Central LA, USA), along with similar worldwide guerilla gardeners,

Food Is Free Laneway since migrated to our Food Is Free Green Space located at 212 Ripon Street Sth), in May 2023.

Green Space is a magical space for people to drop off/collect free nutritious food, (fresh veggies, fruit, herbs only), and make neighbourhood connections.

PLEASE NOTE:

FOOD IS FREE LANEWAY NO LONGER EXISTS AT THE OLD SITE AT RIPON ST ON WARRIOR LANE CORNER. Thank you to all who visited over the 8 years there.

VISIT FOOD IS FREE GREEN SPACE INSTEAD @ 212 RIPON STREET STH (OPEN 24 HRS A DAY).

We have come a long way since 2014! From a communal Laneway garden beside Founder Lou Ridsdale’s home, we now proudly operate over four sites (Council/State Government assets).

1. Food Is Free Green Space, (est. 2018) – 50-garden bed, averages 100 daily visitors: at-risk community members enjoy fresh food 24/7 plus access to gardening workshops.

2. Grow & Thrive Garden (est. 2022) – which we collaborate with Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council, to learn, grow & share culturally appropriate food.

3. First Nations Women’s Yarning Garden (est. 2023) – which is led by a self-determined group of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women, set up for mob to connect & learn in a safe space. Public are welcome to view the many plants and learn about culture.

4. Sebastopol Library outdoor deck garden (est. 2023), which we collaborate with Ballarat Libraries – food access & education for low socio-economic population.

Over the next 5 years, Food Is Free Inc. will embark on our biggest food security adventure yet – the development of a $2.2million urban food farm called Grow To Give, with food education being the main focus via a Sustainability School, modelled on both CERES & Farm My School.

Our vision is to create a food secure, inclusive, sustainable and healthy community.

Our mission is to build community resilience and environmental awareness by providing education about living sustainably, growing and sharing fresh nutritious food.

Every year, we educate and empower thousands of people in our all-inclusive spaces, and aim to continually grow what we do.

Food Is Free Green Space
212 Ripon St South, on cnr of Urquhart & Ripon Sts
Ballarat Central VIC 3350

Sebastopol Library + Food Is Free Inc. Deck Garen
181 Albert St,
Sebastopol VIC 3356

First Nations Women’s Yarning Garden + Grow & Thrive Garden

25 – 39 Barkly St,

Ballarat East Vic 3350

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Workshops & Events

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Online store

What to drop off and how you do it

Here’s a list of items we need plus where you can leave them:

Food Is Free Green Space

Gardening Tools

If you have any pre-loved gardening tools please leave outside our front gate for collection from our visitors.

Please tools only – we don’t need plastic containers, jars, or similar items. Please take these to the op shop etc.

Gardening Pots

All sizes gardening pots (please leave at our pots stand). If you have a spare moment, we’ve love it if you gave our stand a tidy up please.

Please leave pots only – we don’t need plastic containers, jars, and similar items.

Seeds & Seedlings Sharing

Got spare seeds, or seedlings?

Gardening Seeds! We love them. Please leave them in the Free Seeds Toolbox.

It’s a great thing to save your own garden seeds and donate them to community. It is literally FREE FOOD, and we get very excited about local seed saving.

Seedings! It’s lovely to grow seedlings for others. If you are growing some food for yourself – why not do an extra few to donate to us for our visitors to plant in their gardens?

Please leave them on our Free Seedlings Stand.

Books

Books are key to learning new things.

We love books and magazines on any self-sufficiency topics such as gardening, crafts, cooking and related topics.

Please leave in our Food For The Brain street library.

Organics & Food Scraps

Food scraps for composting (please drop into our green Aerobin compost bins along our fence line – signage on bins will guide you but basically anything organic e.g. kitchen scraps – veg/fruit/herbs and plant cuttings, tea bags, coffee grinds, but please NO cheese, dairy, package food, bread, rice, pasta, plastic bags etc.

If the Aerobin compost bin you choose is sealed up and signed RESTING, it means it is temporarily out of action.

Egg Cartons

Empty egg cartons

Please leave these in the Greens Recycle Bins marked EGG CARTONS & TOILET ROLL HOLDERS.

If you have time to rip them up, please place them direct into one of our Aerobin compost bins along the fenceline.

Toilet Roll Holders

Empty toilet roll holders

Please leave in the Greens Recycle Bins marked EGG CARTONS & TOILET ROLL HOLDERS.

If you have time to rip them up, please place them direct into one of our Aerobin compost bins along the fenceline.

We also don’t need any extra goods dropped off other than what is listed on our entrance signs – PLEASE read them to familiarise what we do and don’t want or email info@foodisfree.com.au if in doubt.

Upcoming Events & Workshops

Seedy Saturdays with Food Is Free Inc. 12 Sept (FREE)

Sat 12 Sept at

10am - 11am

FREE Worm Farm workshop with Food Is Free Inc. for Seniors Festival (55+ yo) 1 Oct, 2026

Thurs 1 Oct 2026 at

9.30am - 10.30am

FREE Worm Farm Workshop 15 Aug 2026

Sat 15 August 2026 at

11am - Noon

DIY Nature Collage Workshop – Youth (aged 12 – 25) hosted by Food Is Free Inc.

Sat 27 June 2026 at

Noon - 1pm

Driven by committed volunteers and board members.

We have a team of approx. 70 marvellous volunteers who assist with regular weekly, fortnightly or monthly shifts varying from 30 mins up to an hour per session.

Duties carried out ensure the health & safety of all our visitors, and tasks include disposing of perished food, general tidying, attending to the jars/bottles and garden pots recycle station, watering our plants, and other gardening tasks.

We also have events volunteers who help at our workshops, markets and other activities, plus graphics, arts and crafts volunteers and administrative assistance.

Click on our Volunteers page for more info on how to apply.

We are presently recruiting for new Board members for 2024, as well as for our newly formed Fundraising Committee. Email our Chair via chair@foodisfree.com.au for more info.

Our online store

Tote Bag (Produce) – AUG SALE 25% OFF!

Tea Towel (Produce) – AUG SALE 25% OFF!

Tote Bag (Humans) – AUG SALE 25% OFF!

Tea Towel (Humans) – AUG SALE 25% OFF!

We need your help to grow

Food Is Free Inc. relies on the generosity of the community to sustain itself and gratefully accepts financial donations no matter how big or small. Help us make a meaningful impact in the Ballarat community by donating today!