Shepparton Access

As we near the end of the 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞, we’d like to give a big thank you to our amazing community supporters who jumped on board with us as a registered donation drop-off point.

Cavalier Homes Goulburn Valley and St. Luke's Catholic Primary School wasted no time putting the call out to their staff and school communities to 𝑫𝒐 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑵𝒊𝒄𝒆 - 𝑫𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒆 and our crew were more than happy to collect the generous donations on their behalf 🙌

Huge thanks to our Learning and Lifestyle Hub participants, families and team for their support and generosity with the donation drive.

Congratulations to Shepparton Foodshare on surpassing your goal and continuing to support more families across our community. It’s organisations like these that truly make our community what it is 💙💚
If you haven’t donated yet, there’s still time—but be quick! Donations are being accepted until the end of June 🍚🍚

At 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐮𝐛, every opportunity is a chance to grow. Our programs are hands-on and empower participants to build real-life work skills, confidence, and teamwork.

Our 𝑬𝒄𝒐𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌 team grew and harvested the peppers and jalapeños, then sent to our kitchen. There, our Chef and 𝑬𝒄𝒐𝑪𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 team put their skills to the test, creating products for sale in our 𝑬𝒄𝒐𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒆 where the journey continues as our customised employment program providing participants retail work experience - labels, displays, and promotes each new product for our customers.

𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒕 - demonstrating not only practical skills, but the value of collaboration, purpose, and achievement. Our participants are at the heart of everything we do. This is their story—one of growth, connection, and what’s possible when people come together to learn, work, and thrive.

This new product has everyone in the office talking — it tastes amazing! Do yourself a favour and drop by the store for a taste test. We’re sure you’ll walk out with a jar… but be quick, they won’t last long!

🌿𝐎𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠!🌿

Our Health and Wellbeing program has been exploring the benefits of herbs—learning how they can enhance both our health and our cooking with fresh, vibrant flavours.

This sparked a trip to Bunnings to select a variety of herbs for our kitchen. From there, the team headed off to 𝑬𝒄𝒐𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌 for potting, making the most of the mild weather we have been experiencing. Everyone got involved—planting, learning, and enjoying the afternoon together. 🌱

To complete the project, our talented friends at 𝑬𝒄𝒐𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌 worked their magic in the woodworking shed, creating the perfect planters to hold our pots.

Now in the perfect location next door at 𝑬𝒄𝒐𝑪𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆, the pots are sitting proudly on the verandah and soaking up the sunshine. ☀️🌿

Everything is now in place—so all that’s left to do is watch them grow! 🌼

A wonderful example of teamwork, creativity, and collaboration between Park and Cottage. 💚💙

Our 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 & 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 is all about embracing a wide range of activities that our participants choose to enjoy —guided and supported by our amazing mentors, who always bring creativity, enthusiasm, and great ideas to the table.
And let’s be honest… it didn’t take much convincing when music and dance were on the agenda! 🎶

This time, the group added a fun little twist—dancing along to the classic “𝑫𝒂 𝒅𝒂 𝒅𝒂 𝒅𝒂 𝒅𝒂 𝒅𝒂 - 𝑻𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒂”! You know the one!😉
Participants got into the spirit by sporting hats to match their moves, and every time the song called out “𝑻𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒂,” up went the hats!

The result? A fantastic mix of movement, laughter and coordination, —all wrapped up in one lively program activity.
It’s moments like these that highlight how to have fun while staying active can be. Doing this as part of group activities makes it so much easier to stay motivated, while naturally encouraging teamwork and creating a strong sense of belonging.

Well done to everyone for bringing the energy and making it such a memorable session!
Now I bet that tune is stuck in your head! 🤣🎶

At our 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐛, we are committed to delivering programs that 𝑬𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓, 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆.

We do this by supporting the independence and preferred lifestyles of people with a disability, ensuring they can enjoy the same opportunities as all members of our community 💙💚

As part of our Promoting Health & Wellbeing program, 𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒉, 𝑴𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒂, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒉𝒍𝒐𝒆 have been making fantastic progress each week. Not only do they attend swimming sessions at our local gym to support their health goals, but they are also building their independence by catching the local bus to get there!

We are incredibly proud of the dedication and confidence these ladies continue to show. It’s wonderful to see them achieving their goals and embracing new challenges with the support of their mentors 🙌

👏 Well done, Sarah, Melita, and Chloe! We love sharing your journey and celebrating your ongoing success. Keep inspiring us all!

𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 – 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮! 🚓🚑🚒

Today, Shepparton Access proudly joined communities across Australia to celebrate 𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑫𝒂𝒚 (𝑾𝒆𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒅𝒂𝒚 10 𝑱𝒖𝒏𝒆) — a special day dedicated to recognising and thanking the incredible Police, Fire, Ambulance, SES, Marine Rescue personnel, and the families who support them every day. 💙

Our 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 & 𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒚𝒍𝒆 𝑯𝒖𝒃 got involved by creating heartfelt thank you cards for our local first responders. Today, our participants had the opportunity to personally deliver these messages of appreciation — and what a memorable day it was!

𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕
The group met the amazing fire crew, enjoyed a quick tour, and even got a ride in the fire truck! 🚒 Oscar proudly presented our thank you card to the firefighters. Izzy put her digital & documentary skill to work capturing the moment.

𝑷𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕
Ben presented our card to local police officers, and everyone enjoyed a great chat about the important work first responders do. A few of the team even tried to get “arrested” 🤣🤣 — all in good fun!

𝑨𝒎𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕
Our final stop was the ambulance station, where the group toured the training room, storage areas, and the huge garage where the ambulances are kept. They even got to step inside an ambulance! Oscar showed off his CPR skills 💪, and Issy proudly presented our thank you card.

At each visit, our participants spoke about how much our community values and appreciates the vital role first responders play. 💛

𝑨 𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕-𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚 — 𝑩𝒆𝒏, 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒂, 𝑰𝒔𝒔𝒚, 𝑬𝒍𝒍𝒂, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑶𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓 — 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒑𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚.

👏 Thank you to all our first responders for your courage, dedication, and care. We appreciate you today and every day.

𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 🍕

𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 – 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕.

And that's exactly the 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 with this group of young gents showing what consistent learning, patience, and practice can achieve.

Bob, Caleb and Sam went straight to thier recipe file and confidently chose the pizza dough recipe – one of three recipes the program has been rotating through recently. It’s been incredible to watch their progress. And this amazing lunch was a perfect example of person centred support.

This wasn’t just about cooking. The learning started well before they stepped into the kitchen:

📝 Writing a shopping list
🛒 Heading to the supermarket and finding all the ingredients
💳 Scanning items and paying at the checkout

Back at the kitchen, they gathered all the equipment they needed and got to work. With minimal guidance and just a small reminder about kneading the dough, they managed everything so independently 👏 Once ready, they rolled out their own bases, added toppings, and baked their pizzas. They also worked brilliantly as a team, cleaning as they went and sharing the jobs.

While the dough was rising (and what a rise it was – their best one yet!), they even took the initiative to research the next three meals they want to learn. We always aim to choose meals they can recreate at home, which builds confidence and real-life independence. It’s been so great to see these skills carry over – like Sam making garlic bread Sloppy Joes at home with his mum 😊

A fantastic day filled with growth, teamwork, and independence
We are so proud of how far they’ve come! 💛

And the smell coming from the kitchen was absolutely amazing! The administration team couldn’t help but feel a little envious—suddenly their salads for lunch just didn’t seem quite as exciting that day!

𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫!

➡️ Looking to add a deeper purpose and meaning to your job?
➡️ Looking for two days a week?
➡️ Do you have the ability to provide high-quality customer service while supporting people with disability in a retail environment.
➡️ Do you have a natural creative flair for merchandising, with a strong eye for detail and presentation.
➡️ And a genuine passion for improving the lives of people with disability.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖!
🖲️ Apply now via SEEK https://au.seek.com/job/92047263?tracking=SHR-WEB-SharedJob-anz-1

A big thank you to Cardamone Real Estate Mooroopna— one of the many incredible local businesses choosing to support our EcoStore Enterprises.

By purchasing custom 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 for their clients, they’re not only giving thoughtful, sustainable gifts but also making a real difference in our community 🤎💚🧡

Looking for a unique way to showcase your business? Drop in and chat with the team at EcoStore Enterprises — you’ll quickly discover we can create custom hampers to suit any budget, complete with your business branding on beautifully designed hamper boxes. We can even tailor a completely bespoke order that reflects your brand perfectly. Local delivery included.

The best part? Every purchase from our social enterprise helps create meaningful employment opportunities and positive outcomes for adults living with a disability, while driving real change in our community.

𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍. 𝑮𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆. 𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕.

If you’ve been following our page, you may have seen our recent post celebrating our 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 with St. Luke's Catholic Primary School —and how it just keeps getting stronger 💚💙

A wonderful example of this is our 𝑻𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑 𝒂𝒕 𝑬𝒄𝒐𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌, where creativity comes to life. Together, our participants and students roll up their sleeves to design, build, and explore using a range of materials.

Their latest project? 𝑯𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒔! 🏏
After plenty of teamwork and craftsmanship, the bats were put to the test out on the field—and let’s just say, we think Pat Cummins would be impressed with the quality! ☺️
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆’𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍.

Programs like this highlight the incredible benefits of children connecting and working alongside adults with disability. These shared experiences foster inclusion, build understanding, encourage empathy, and create meaningful friendships.

𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒂 𝒕𝒘𝒐-𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒋𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕.
💚💙

𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅—it’s truly inspiring to see such collaboration come together, topped off with a friendly match to celebrate all the hard work 👏