Farmers wanting to help farmers is the motivation behind Westbury Lions Club's latest project.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The club is seeking good quality hay to donate to struggling East Coast farmers.
Club member Chris Kilby said the idea came from talking with Shirley Flack from the Glamorgan Lions Club last year.
"She spoke to me this year and I said 'well I'll speak to our lions club and see if we can help organise something from here," Mr Kilby said.
The harvest season is about to launch and the club is already starting its stockpile.
"We thought that would be the best time to sort of gather up a bit of a stock pile, and then distribute it to the East Coast throughout the year," Mr Kilby said.
"They've been doing it awfully tough for the last number of years, and we're heading into a summer with no moisture, no grass or anything so it's terribly heartbreaking when you see people that have had no income for for a number of years."
Mr Kilby said within just a couple of days of launching the plan, he had already had phone calls from as far away as North Motton.
"Those people have got a bit of stuff here already. Then locally we've had commitments from a number of people who have said when they're baling they'll think of us and donate a few."
The club would like to get 360 bales donated during the November to January harvest period.
"I think that's quite achievable and I reckon we could probably do more than that," Mr Kilby said.
He said it would be nice for struggling farmers to feel that someone is thinking of them.
"Just to just take the pressure off, just for one day they're able to feed their cattle and it's just a load off of their mind."
Donations are also required to help transport the bales.
"For those 360 bales it would be $7500. I spoke to a local transport contractor and that was basically their cost," Mr Kilby said.
If you would like to donate, contact Mr Kilby on 0409 182 676, or Chris Viney on 0408 137 221.