Farmlands Co-operative joined with rural communities to raise more than $165,000 charity in the lead up to Christmas.
Kicking off in mid-November and running until Christmas Eve, Tag Your Charity gave customers the opportunity to donate
to either a community charity chosen by their local store or the Farmlands’ national charity I Am Hope. Donations were
symbolised by customers popping ear tags (donated by Allflex/MSD Animal Health Intelligence) onto a crafted wire
Christmas tree (donated by Summit Steel & Wire).
Farmlands started the campaign by donating $37,500 to the Gumboot Friday fund to help fund over 150 counselling sessions
and Z Energy split more than $32,000 across I Am Hope and each local charity. The selflessness of rural New Zealand
shone through as locals raised over $77,000 in total for their community charities, including St John, Riding for the
Disabled, Hospice and Helicopter Trusts and over $48,000 for I Am Hope, bringing the total national amount to over
$165,000. Farmlands CEO Tanya Houghton is thrilled that these charities can start 2022 off with a financial boost.
“The campaign has been fantastic, it’s a testament to the generosity of our customers and their support of our branches
to raise these funds for very deserving organisations,” Tanya says.
The total amount of over $87,000 raised for I Am Hope’s Gumboot Friday, including the Farmlands donation, will fund
approximately 500 counselling sessions for rural rangatahi (youth) around the motu (country). A key mental health
service, I Am Hope aims to reduce waiting lists for urgent counselling by providing free sessions from qualified
counsellors and the charity relies on external donors to uphold this service. Donations from Farmlands’ customers will
be critical to supporting and saving young lives in the future.
“We are really proud of how our shareholders and customers have supported these charities, their donations will really
make a difference,” Tanya says.
“We are very thankful to our customers for supporting this initiative. Tag Your Charity will be an ongoing element of
the Farmlands calendar as we explore other ways that we can support local organisations in the future. Watch this
space!”