Moulamein Retirement Village Committee, which operates the 17-bed Edward River Gardens (pictured), and Mathoura Retirement Village have each been awarded $10,000 by Murray River Council.

The council, based in Moama, in the NSW Riverina, donated the money from its COVID Support Grants program to help local community groups get back on their feet after two-years of little-to-no activity.

At its January meeting, Council resolved to reallocate funds earmarked for the next round of its 2021/22 community grants program for the purpose.

"Community groups can be just as important as viable local businesses, and we recognised that we have some organisations out there that may benefit from support through this one-off grant program,” Mayor Chris Bilkey said.

“We were pleased to see some applications come in and are happy we can provide some support where needed.”

Moulamein Retirement Village Committee said the money was needed for electricity and maintenance costs, while Mathoura Retirement Village will put the funds towards landscaping.