If you would like to join us for any of our Convoys, please go to the Volunteer tab to register your intention. You can also choose to volunteer in a general way for other events we have coming up or you can support us with a financial gift to help keep the trucks rolling for longer. Our Volunteer Page allows you to choose what type of participation you would prefer.
We are still in need of fodder, particularly grass, hay and lucerne, also working dog food, and all types of feed for all farm and companion animals, donations of non perishable food for their humans would also be very appreciated.
WANT TO HELP?
Can you help? Yes, you can!! Everything from donating funds, to joining us on the convoy to providing Hay, Stock, Feed and more...no help is too small, no donation is too small.
Get on board NOW...your fellow Aussies need you!! To join in go to the VOLUNTEER page. You can also keep up with our events via our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NeedForFeedDisasterRelief
We can't wait for you to join us!! In the meantime
we are super excited to show you this years pics leading up
to our 2016 Australia Day Convoy!!
2016 & 2017 Events
For the last 10 years Need for Feed disaster relief volunteers have been collecting hay and fodder to help out Victorian farmers affected by bushfire, drought and flood. Tomorrow multiple convoys will set off from around the state to deliver much needed help to the Scotsburn area near Ballarat after devastating fires late last year. The convoys will all meet at Bunningong Rec Reserve @ 12.00 pm for Lunch and Media Then leave for Scotsburn to distribute the hay and donations. Donations have come from all over Victoria, from Leongatha to Heyfield & from the Great Ocean road. This year they are also taking donations of dog food to help feed the farmers working dogs.
Thanks to our Sponsors
IGA Victoria liked the idea so much, they upped the sponsorship to $100,000 to take the joint Lions / Need for Feed / IGA Dairy Farmer Support Program to all of Victoria, at the same time inviting us to write to all IGA retailers.
Ritchies IGA group of stores responded to that letter with an offer to help fund vouchers in all of the Eastern States, and our Lions District asked all of the other 16 Australian Lions Districts to take the appeal to their 1400 or so clubs, covering more than 40,000 members.
So to cut a long story short, Our appeal is now National.
What started as a conversation between a couple of people wanting to make a difference, has already seen vouchers and gift cards rolled out to every Rural Financial Counselling Office in Victoria over the last 2 months, and with the help of people like you and others will see that extended to every Dairy Region in Australia.
We are honoured that we have been chosen to distribute the funds from the Udderly Awesome Dress Up Day, and pleased to be able to help another group of people make a difference in the lives of others.
WHAT TO DONATE
DOG FOOD
HAY
STOCK
FARM FEED OF ALL VARIETIES
TARPS
WATER/BOTTLED AND BARRELLED
MONETARY DONATIONS
VOUCHERS FROM LOCAL STOCK SUPPLIERS
Remember, as in all Lions Projects, 100% of all donations go to where they were intended.
We're all volunteers. Nothing is retained for administration.
South Aussie Hay Run
We have had an offer from the Yorke Peninsular in South Australia of at least 10 -15 semi loads of quality fodder to go to struggling dairy farmers in Victoria, and some for us to put into storage for our bushfire season.
The fodder is wheaten hay, barley straw, and some lupin straw, all of it from this seasons harvest.
We plan on leaving on the 3rd. or 4th. of January and will be back in Victoria for drop offs on the 6th. or 7th.
We are still looking for more semis, drop decks, singles or doubles to join us, for the job to South Australia, bringing donated fodder back for former National Dairy Products farmers, who's company has gone belly up, with suppliers unlikely to get paid what they are owed at all.
And some into storage for our bushfire season.
Some costs will be covered, for expressions of interest, contact us on here or Graham Cockerell, phone or text 0459 444 111, or you can register to volunteer online.
Victorian community group sends assistance to Tasmanian dairy farmers
Read the full story here
Need for Feed & Lions Christmas Hampers
Just one of 575 Christmas hampers for dairy farmers being distributed by Lions Clubs across Gippsland. Each has a little something special from Need for Feed and our supporters.
With contributions by Need for Feed and Lions Clubs from right around Australia through Barooga Lions, coordinated deliveries to dairy farmers by local Lions Clubs, Lions have played a major part in this.
In Gippsland, recipients will also receive a $100 Need for Feed IGA food shopping voucher.
And a little something special from one of our sponsor Grand Ridge Brewery.
LIONS / NEED FOR FEED / IGA DAIRY FARMERS SUPPORT PROGRAM
In the nearly 10 years since Need for Feed starting, we have operated all over Victoria, raising funds and delivering fodder for Fire, Flood and Drought Relief.
Over that time most of our fodder has come from farmers, and a significant quantity donated by Dairy Farmers in Gippsland.
With the Dairy Farmers Milk Price Crisis affecting many who
had been so generous to others, we wanted to find a way to
give back.
We entered into an arrangement with Michaels IGA stores
in South Gippsland to jointly fund food shopping vouchers
to be distributed through Rural Financial Counselling to
farmers seeking help.
This arrangement was extended to the Goulburn Valley
with the help of Fairleys IGA and the local Lions Clubs.
LABOUR DAY WEEKEND 2016
On the Saturday of the Victorian Labour Day Long weekend, we had a convoy of 9 semi's shifting 260 large squares of donated oaten straw from Telangatuk East on the other side of the Grampians, back to a more central location in the Ballarat area.
Special thanks to Warren Blake and Co. for this fantastic donation, Tremor Truckworks for the transport, and our Western Victoria Coordinator, Adam Meek for putting it all together.
Our Coordinator Graham Cockerell also travelled out there to say thank you in person. We are truly blessed to have such generous people with their product, time, and machinery helping us out.
Two of those semi loads went straight to the Mt. Bolton fodder depot & were distributed by the local Lions Club, two more remained loaded, joining us for the Convoy to Barnawartha the next Day, and the rest put under cover storage for allocation to whichever fire area needed it.