A BATCH of 5000 food hampers will make their way through the region as farmers and charities issue a plea to help get rural communities through the drought.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Foodbank delivered a stack of food hampers to Tamworth and the wider North West region this week.
It comes one year after the charity dispersed 10,000 hampers across drought stricken areas.
"This is a milestone we never wanted to hit," Foodbank chief executive officer Gerry Andersen said.
"The farmers need us now more than ever.
"No one anticipated the drought would last this long."
No one anticipated the drought would last this long.
- Foodbank CEO Gerry Andersen
Mr Andersen urged people to make a donation if they could.
"We are calling on the public to lend a hand, farmers are beyond breaking point," he said.
"A $30 donation will deliver a hamper to help support a farming family in crisis."
Nea Worrell, a fifth generation farmer from Baradine, has helped disperse food hampers through the CWA drought pantry.
READ MORE:
She said this drought was the worst in her living memory.
"Because it has been so long, people now do not have any money, no money whatsoever," she said
"I'm worried about the mental health of the men.
"We need your help, without your help, without Foodbank's food, without Foodbank's hampers, without people backing us, we can't give out and people are going to die."
Joblink Plus will be helping distribute hampers through its sites in the coming weeks.
"Joblink Plus has offices in about 70 per cent of NSW communities and just about all of them are affected by prolonged drought," project lead Tim Diebold said.
"It's so important to keep telling the stories, keep highlighting the issues and the impact on rural economies.
"Many businesses are now really feeling it in terms of being able to pay staff and keep that cash flow coming in."
Hampers were dropped off at Scone, Quirindi, Tamworth and Baradine earlier this week.
Another batch will be delivered to the Tooraweenah CWA on Wednesday.