increase font size
Federated Farmers' 'Farmers Feed Families' campaign has raised $37,000 to date.
Farmers are doing their bit to help needy families this Christmas.
The Federated Farmers ‘Farmers Feed Families’ campaign is in its last week: to date $37,000 has been raised for the Auckland City Mission.
The farmer lobby is pushing on to get to the $100,000 target.
Feds Gisborne president Toby Williams, who came up with the campaign, says the struggle is real for families as a result of Covid fallout, including loss of jobs or cutbacks to hours.
‘Farmers Feed Families’ encourages farmers and growers to consider giving a wee bit to the cause via a Givealittle page which links directly to the Auckland mission.
"We can do this and I ask farmers and growers to dig deep this week," Williams says.
It costs $135 to provide a box of food for a family of four, with enough good ingredients for about four days’ worth of meals.
"The ongoing impact of three months of lockdowns has reduced the ability of too many families to provide the necessities of life, and especially to get through Christmas. We want to do something about it," he says.
Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard says the organisation is pleased to actively support the Mission’s Zero Hunger initiative.
"Sometimes Feds does things that are not about politics or regulations. We just want to feed families, especially when times are tough. ‘Farmers Feed Families’ - that’s what we do.
"We often talk of how we can make connections between farmers and urban communities, well here’s one way."
Auckland City Mission was chosen as the recipient because it is able to get to those who need the support most - and fast.
Mission chief executive Helen Robinson says more people have been turning to them for support than ever before during this latest lockdown, and it will be a difficult Christmas for many. In one week alone about 2,000 parcels of food were distributed, which is more than four times the weekly amount prior to Covid.
"Supporting people in Auckland who are facing the greatest need is a very real way farmers can connect with the city where the majority of their produce and meat is consumed," Robinson says.
"Quite simply we cannot offer the level of support we do without the generosity of people. My thanks goes to them all."
The Mission expects to give out around 9,000 Christmas food parcels and tens of thousands of gifts to families who would otherwise go without.
OPINION: Recent media commentary from Southland Federated Farmers has raised concerns among our rural communities, particularly around Environment Southland’s approach to winter grazing inspections and nitrogen reporting. But let’s be clear, much of what’s been said simply doesn’t reflect reality.
OPINION: Environment Canterbury's (ECan) decision recently to declare a so-called “nitrate emergency” is laughable.
A shameless political stunt is how Federated Farmers is describing the Canterbury Regional Council decision to declare “a nitrate emergency” on the back of its latest annual groundwater quality survey.
Federated Farmers say Environment Canterbury's decision to declare a 'nitrate emergency' is a shameless political stunt that won't help anyone.
Farmers want the Government to scrap controversial freshwater rules that "put river spirits and ideology ahead of practical water use", says Federated Farmers board member Mark Hooper.
Meat co-operative, Alliance has met with a group of farmer shareholders, who oppose the sale of a controlling stake in the co-op to Irish company Dawn Meats.
Rollovers of quad bikes or ATVs towing calf milk trailers have typically prompted a Safety Alert from Safer Farms, the industry-led organisation dedicated to fostering a safer farming culture across New Zealand.
The Government has announced it has invested $8 million in lower methane dairy genetics research.
A group of Kiwi farmers are urging Alliance farmer-shareholders to vote against a deal that would see the red meat co-operative sell approximately $270 million in shares to Ireland's Dawn Meats.
In a few hundred words it's impossible to adequately describe the outstanding contribution that James Brendan Bolger made to New Zealand since he first entered politics in 1972.
Dawn Meats is set to increase its proposed investment in Alliance Group by up to $25 million following stronger than forecast year-end results by Alliance.
OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…
