Over a decade after its inception, national charity Drought Angels has decided to rebrand as Farm Angels to better represent the higher level of support the organisation provides for farmers in distress.
Farm Angels have been a pillar of support for numerous farming families in New England and its surroundings over the years, through drought and other disasters.
The charity provides short-term financial assistance, food hampers, care packs, mental wellbeing support and other personalised support for farming families and primary producers.
Farm Angels CEO Jason Law says all that help is still available, it’s “business as usual” for the charity; the only aspect that has changed is the name.
“As we reflected on our journey of the past decade and look ahead, we recognised that our mission has grown beyond just aiding farmers through drought conditions and so a name change was needed to better reflect our support through all natural disasters and the challenges they bring,” he said.
“We are continuing all the work we’ve been known for, but with the new name it ensures that farmers and farming families know that they can reach out to us for support through any natural disaster, not just drought.”
Farm Angels made up of farmers
Founder Natasha Johnston created the charity after hearing about how many farmers’ lives had been claimed by the overwhelming stress of drought conditions.
According to Jason, despite Farm Angels starting in Queensland, most of the farmers the charity has helped so far have been from New South Wales.
He says many “proud hard-working farmers and their families,” can find it hard to ask for help, a fact many from within Farm Angels know well, because most are either farmers themselves or have rural life experience.
“The conditions are tough and so are our farmers, but just because they can handle a heck of a lot, doesn’t mean they should have to,” Jason said.
“We understand the physical and emotional toll that natural disasters can bring and we know that while there’s never an easy day on the land, with the generous donations of our supporters we can help make the really tough days a bit better.”
Since its inception over ten years ago, Farm Angels has helped over 4,700 primary producers affected by natural disasters, drought, flood, fire, and plagues, in over 1,300 communities across Australia.
Toll of natural disasters can take years to recover from
A fair share of natural disasters have struck in recent years, leaving havoc and broken families in their wake. Recovery is often very slow and can take years.
Jason says many farmers impacted by natural disasters can take more than five years or more to recover from the financial, physical, and emotional devastation.
“Some never recover. The frequency and severity of natural disasters mean many farmers are at risk of losing their farms or even their lives with staggering statistics showing us that one farmer completes suicide every 10 days, 59% higher than the rate among non-farmers,” he said.
“This is something we’re passionate about turning around.”
Farm Angels is trying to organise a country wide farmer fundraiser, Flanno for a Farmer. The goal is to reach at least one million people dusting off their best flanno’s and donating whatever they can to support farming families.
Set for August 23, individuals, teams and companies can sign up to fundraise and share their photos of their flanno-clad crew.
For more information on Flanno for a Farmer or to apply for help from Farm Angels, head over to their website; alternatively, check out the charity’s Facebook page for regular updates.
Top image: Farm Angels executive team, Jenny Gailey, CEO Jason Law and founder Tash Johnston. (Photo: Supplied)
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