With much of regional and rural Australia ravaged by the worst drought in decades, the residents at the Seventh-day Adventist run Avondale Lifestyle Community have shown their support for  farmers in the remote Pilliga and Gwabegar areas of NSW and raised an incredible $42,500 dollars from within their small retirement village and surrounding community.

Every farming family is receiving supermarket gift cards and food hampers, packaged by local church members out of Narrabri, and delivered farm gate to farm gate to ensure no farming family is missed.

Lionel Smith (pictured), head of the Avondale Lifestyle Community outreach committee and driver of the fundraiser said that he knew that as a community they could mobilise quickly to do their part but given how widespread the drought is no one organisation or fundraiser would be big enough to make an impact. Adventist Senior Living CEO, David Knight, was so impressed by the compassion shown by his village residents he quickly jumped on board.

His organisation has matched the $17,500 donated by the retirement village residents with  another $15,000 and the local volunteer run Cooranbong Community Services Centre, manned largely by village residents, has donated a further $10,000.

In addition, Adventist Senior Living staff across the organisation have asked that they also have a platform for donations so the village has partnered with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) to raise further funds, 100% of which will also be distributed as cash cards to farmers, giving them and their families the most flexible means of support.

The organisation is encouraging everyone in the community to support our famers by making a donation at:

https://droughtrelief.gofundraise.com.au/page/DavidKnight4

All monies are remitted directly to ADRA.