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Ray White Rural donates $100k to help farmers put Christmas dinner on tables

A small foundation run by big hearts will help drought-stricken farmers put food on the table this Christmas thanks to a generous donation.

Ray White Rural chairman Paul White has donated $100,000 to the Drought Angels to support farming families in need in the lead up to Christmas.

Mr White and his partner Lynne Porscin have been long supporters of Drought Angels, a small foundation based in Chinchilla in regional Queensland.

“We give our farmers thanks, it’s not charity. It’s a thank you for all they do to put food on our tables because without them all we would all go hungry,” said Drought Angels co-founder Tash Johnston.

“We are still being inundated with calls for help from Queensland, South Australia and parts of NSW.

“We are running a Buy a Farmer Christmas lunch campaign now and our goal is to send 2000 families a $100 Visa card and Paul and Lynne’s donation will go towards that.

“They are the most generous couple I know and they have been supporting the Drought Angels for at least five years now. Paul and Lynne are incredible people and what they are doing to help our farmers is just so touching.

“Mother Nature has been tough this year, she’s shaking that cranky stick and sadly our donations have fallen by at least 50 per cent this year in the year of COVID.

“We don’t get any government funding and rely on donations and sales in our charity shop.”

Drought Angels has a team of 11 at their base in Chinchilla and some regular volunteers, all aged 70-plus, who help in the warehouse packing hampers and sorting donated homewares for sale.

Drought Angels directors Tash Johnson, Steele Johnston and Jenny Gailey

Drought Angels has some 4500 families registered with it Australia-wide for support, and the number of primary producers who are doing it tough is growing each year.

There are a few simple ways you can support Drought Angels, every farmer has different needs, mostly they need everyday essentials for their farm and family.

Every donation of $2 is tax deductible.

To make a donation to Drought Angels, click here

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Thérèse Murray

Therese Murray is a Senior in house journalist with Elite Agent with experience across a wide range of titles.