Woolworths will donate profits from its fresh produce sales this Saturday in support of drought-affected farmers, and Coles and Bidfood have also joined the effort with fundraising and pledges of their own.
“On top of the $1.5 million commitment we made last week, we’ll be donating all fresh department profits this Saturday to Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale appeal at our supermarkets, " Woolworths Supermarkets managing director Claire Peters said.
“This means all profits from sales of fruit and veg, meat, the chilled section, bakery and deli at Woolworths supermarkets nationwide and online this Saturday will help support farmers doing it tough because of the drought."
The money raised by Woolworths will be donated to Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale appeal in support of farmers impacted by the drought.
“It’s been amazing to see our customers and store teams rally behind Aussie farmers impacted by this drought. In less than a week, our customers have already donated in excess of $600,000 for Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale appeal through our checkouts nationwide. This generosity is making a real difference in rural communities, and has inspired us to build on our support of Rural Aid’s vital work," Peters said.
Coles recently also pledged to provide $5 million in grants and interest-free loans from its Nurture Fund to help farmers across Australia, and launched a fundraising appeal in its supermarkets to go to the Country Women’s Association to provide support to drought-affected families.
“Many of our team members at stores in drought affected communities have heard harrowing stories from customers about the impact of the drought,” Coles Managing Director John Durkan said.
“Our store teams in these communities have helped by collecting donations of non-perishable food or providing gift cards but we wanted to take action at a national level to help more families facing hardship right now and to help farmers to combat drought in the future.”
Food service supplier Bidfood has also announced a drive to raise funds for Aussie farmers. The company, which has already donated $25,000 to the Aussie Helpers farming charity, will also donate funds from the sales of fresh meat products until 31 October.
Bidfood GM of Procurement and Marketing, Grant Fairlie, says “The farming community is one which is intrinsically linked to what we and our customers do every day. We are pleased to be able to provide this assistance and encourage the foodservice industry to continue to show their support to our farmers.”
