Each year emergency services compete to collect items for charity but this year they are asking the community to join them in donating food for drought-affected farmers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The NSW Police Force, Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW and the State Emergency Service have come together to collect groceries and non-perishable food for the Feed a Farmer initiative.
In Orange, donated items will be collected at the Canobolas Zone RFS headquarters at 1385 Forest Road.
Canobolas Zone operations coordinator Brett Bowden said the drought had affected many RFS members and welcomed the change to the charity drive from the usual Stuff Your Chopper competition.
“In the last couple of years the police and the RFS have had a bit of a charity campaign going for food called Stuff Your Chopper,” Mr Bowden said.
“Police have a couple of helicopters and the Rural Fire Service have a couple of helicopters.”
He said the idea was to try to collect as many items to fit in those helicopters with the items then going to people in need.
“This year we will try and get it to our drought affected farmers and the good thing is, it’s our members who will be helped,” Mr Bowden said.
MAP: The Rural Fire Service headquarters on Forest Road ...
The donated groceries are to be distributed by Foodbank NSW and ACT, a non-profit organisation, which acts as a pantry to charities and community groups that provide food to those in need.
Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said the Feed a Farmer initiative was something all emergency services, with help from each community, could do to help farmers.
“We all know farmers are tough, resilient and pride themselves on standing on their own two feet, but sometimes even the toughest need help,” Deputy Commissioner Worboys said.
“According to the Combined Drought Indicator 98.3 per cent of the state is experiencing drought, and as a community based organisation, we need to do what we can to help provide some relief.
Minister for Police Troy Grant said a lot of farmers were choosing to feed their stock first before putting food on their own table.
Foodbank NSW and ACT CEO Gerry Andersen, the donations would be distributed to where they were most needed.
Collections for Feed a Farmer will run until Tuesday, December 4, and people can drop any food or necessities to the Canobolas Zone RFS during business hours Monday – Friday.
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS?
- Receive our free newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up here …
Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
