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Enclosed in a white picket fence at Bendigo Marketplace were tables laden with fruit, sandwiches and sweets.
Around them sat about 65 guests, who came from near and far in support of the region’s dairy farmers.
The Food 4 Dairy Farmers afternoon tea on Thursday marked the culmination of a campaign by the Country Women’s Association of Victoria Bendigo Northern Group.
Food donations will help fill care packages, which are delivered to Dingee East Loddon dairy farmers by the Salvation Army Bendigo Corps.
East Loddon Community Network Group, Foodbank Victoria and Melbourne-based business Cardboard Cartons work together to put together the packages.
Monetary donations to the cause will help buy food or supermarket vouchers.
Cyan Norton of East Loddon P-12 College was among the students serving the attendees finger food and refreshments at the event.
She was proud to be involved and thanked all those who had supported the initiative.
“A lot of the people I go to school with are on dairy farms,” she said.
“It’s nice to know we’re supported by each other and other people – there are so many people here.”
Attendee Jenny Delaney heard about the event from a friend who had been involved in collecting food donations the week prior.
She brought her granddaughter Alix Taylor, 3, along so she too would gain an appreciation for what farmers were facing.
“It really is terrible,” Mrs Delaney said.
The thought of families who had been farming for generations struggling to keep their properties because of the cumulative strain of droughts, floods and the milk price vexed the Bendigo resident.
Mrs Delaney has never worked the land before, but said she admired farmers.
“They work so hard. I thought, well I’ll help by coming along,” she said.
CWA Bendigo Northern Group secretary Denise Underwood estimated the value of the donations at more than $10,000 at the beginning of yesterday’s event.
A raffle, with about 40 prizes, had yet to be drawn at that stage.
She thanked all the businesses, organisations, group and individuals who had supported the event – a sentiment echoed by East Loddon Community Network Group president Leanne Welsh.
Also in attendance were Salvation Army Rural Support Worker and Chaplain John Cartwright, who delivers the packages, and Cardboard Cartons managing director Linden Barry, whose business has been donating boxes and food for the care packages since the start of the year.