Owen Chapman, a resident of the Royal Freemasons’ Benevolent Institution (RFBI) Armidale Masonic Village, and his wife Janice wanted to help local farmers.

With the support of the Village team, they held a ‘gold coin’ pancake morning tea, and raised $153 for Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale.

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“We’ve done things like this before, having been involved with a breakfast club program at a local school,” Owen said. “We saw this as an opportunity to raise money for such a good cause.”

“There is a limit on what you are able to do when you come into care, but the pancake morning tea made us feel as though we are still able to contribute to our community.

“Janice helped me plan and was able to come in and help me cook the pancakes and serve them.  We’re planning to do another one in the near future.”

The RFBI, in all its 21 locations, is rallying to help support local farmers. A leading not-for-profit charity, it has provided care and support for those in need for over 138 years.

“Many of our residents have lived on the land,” chairman David Adams said, “and know first-hand the difficulties farmers are experiencing. Across our organisation, they are looking for ways in which they can help.

Mr Adams presented a cheque for $100,000 to Tracy Alder, co-founder of Regional Aid Australia, at RFBI Dubbo Masonic Village on Wednesday, August 22, to help ease the burden on farmers.

“I hope our donation will take a bit of the load off farmers in our communities, and remind them of the support they have around them,” Mr Adams said.

“When I suggested donating to Rural Aid Australia to help farmers who were struggling in our communities, our Board did not hesitate in giving their approval.”

Rural Aid Australia was founded in 2015 to support families in rural communities. Since launching their ‘Buy a Bale’ campaign, they have raised over $4.5 million, and supported thousands of farming families across NSW and QLD.

“We are so grateful to RFBI and all of their residents and staff who have raised money, and collected food donations to support Aussie farmers,” Ms Alder said.

“We could not provide the support we do, without donations and support from businesses and local community members like RFBI.

“This donation will help us to continue purchasing fodder for our struggling farmers.”

Narelle McDonald, a Rural Aid Australia recipient and now volunteer aid co-ordinator, said:

“One of the best things about being a volunteer for ‘Buy a Bale’ is seeing the change that comes over people when they receive hay or hampers. It makes me as happy as them. It’s so, so worthwhile.”