134
INNOVATION IN PRACTICE
Years of support: The Rural Aid and Woolworths partnership helping the bush
From mental health and wellbeing services to hay drops, Rural Aid’s long-standing partnership with Woolworths has delivered vital support to farming families facing drought, fire, and flood by combining practical help with empathy and local understanding.
A partnership benefiting many Since joining forces, Woolworths and Rural Aid have forged a purposeful partnership, working together to generate much-needed funds to enable practical and focused support to be delivered to rural and regional farming communities when it is most needed. As Australia's Fresh Food People who source much of its food, fibre and foliage from regional Australia, Woolworths highlights that this partnership reflects that connection. “Every plate tells a story,” says War- lters. “What’s on your plate, or what’s not, has every- thing to do with what’s happening in the paddock.” Through customer donations, fundraising drives, and the ongoing contribution from every 24-pack of Woolworths Spring Water sold, the supermarket’s support has enabled Rural Aid to deliver over 160,000 bales of hay, 13,000 counselling sessions, and emer- gency supplies, such as drinking water to families doing it tough. “Hope is a four-letter word more powerful than most,” Warlters says. “You can’t quantify it on a profit
What began as a grassroots response to drought has evolved into one of rural Australia’s most signifi- cant support networks. The Buy a Bale campaign, launched by Tracy and Charles Alder in 2013, tapped into a growing awareness of the challenges on the land. It became clear farmers needed more than sympathy, they needed water, supplies, hay, and support services. The campaign struck a chord. As donations rolled in, it laid the foundation for Rural Aid, which was officially established in 2015. Three years later, as farmers in parts of regional NSW were again severely impacted by worsening drought, Woolworths’ team on the ground raised the alarm. Woolworths responded by partner- ing with Rural Aid to expand Rural Aid’s reach. John Warlters, who has been Rural Aid’s CEO since 2020, says that kind of timely action matters. “Drought had transformed from a local concern into a national crisis,” he says. “That sense of urgency, that something had to be done, resonated far beyond the bush. And Woolworths understood.”
Powered by FlippingBook