A simple idea for a community swap produce stand is creating invaluable moments of connection in central Wangaratta.

The Rowan Street stand was the brainchild of Emily Scott, who thought it would be an efficient avenue for herself and other locals to distribute produce that was excess to their needs.

"I love cooking, and I was doing a lot of cooking with excess produce, but still had lots of stuff I couldn't use," she said.

"It seemed ridiculous, with the number of people wanting and needing food, not to share it."

Thinking that others may be in the same situation, Emily came up with the food swap concept, had help from a friend who built the stand, and then waited to see what the response would be.

She placed a sign inside the stand encouraging neighbours and passers-by to 'Take what you will use, leave what you have excess of - like a book library, but for fruit, veggies, herbs, flowers, seeds, mulch, fertilisers, etc'.

"I thought that if everyone was to grow one thing and share it, it would really make a difference, and if people started to use the stand as a hub, knowing they could take something without necessarily having to drop off anything, it could work," Emily said.

The result was beyond her expectations.

"I can't believe how well it's gone, the amount of traffic, and the amount of food left there," she said.

"There's been lots of fruit and veg, and people will even drop off sourdough starters.

"One day I saw a fella pull in and unload a heap of UHT milk; I thought, 'I wonder how long it will stay there', but that night there was only one left.

"Last week, someone dropped off 15 pumpkins, and they went really quickly too.

"Obviously people see it and use it.

"The thing I was worried about was that it might be a big job, that I'd be spending my whole life pickling because I can't let things go to waste, but the turnover has been amazing.

"I didn't think it would be this popular.

"My hope is that people will pull in on their way to the supermarket and see what's there, so they don't have to buy stuff they don't need."

While not originally intended as a book swap, a shelf at the bottom of the stand is also regularly rotated, and currently offers books as well as magazines.

Even more important to Emily than distributing excess items and avoiding waste has been the sense of community connection the stand has developed.

Emily and partner Damian Clay's two young sons, Harry and Alf, love watching the action around the stand, and the family has met not only passers-by but neighbours who are drawn to the Rowan Street hub.

"It's nice to be able to teach the boys that sometimes if you've got a lot of something, it's good to share," she said.

"We have a few regulars who walk past all the time because they live on the street; you get to know people because they will stop to chat, and I'll often see people talking out there.

"The other day, a lady dropped off some lemon balm seedlings she had potted up, and she knocked on the door to offer us one, which was beautiful," she said.

"Sometimes I'll put out some curry leaves, and I think a local Indian family is often able to use them, which is lovely, as they are a difficult item to find when you need them for your cooking.

"We're also seeing people drop items off with a little note - like the box of salt and vinegar chips that was left with a message saying they were perfectly fine, it was just that no-one in the house liked salt and vinegar chips anymore.

"And I got the best message on Instagram from a single mum saying, 'Thanks so much, I made a frittata out of everything on the stand'.

"So it's doing what it's supposed to do."