CBH Group grain growers provide direct assistance for St John WA sub centres

• CBH Group grain growers can now donate direct to their local St John sub centres to support fundraising initiatives,
• A dozen sub centres in the Wheatbelt, Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance region have signed up to the LoadNet system, meaning growers can donate grain or the proceeds of the sale of grain to local charities,
• Individual St John WA sub centres across the state can register as a charity and receive funds directly from local farmers and grain growers to purchase much needed equipment for the local community.

A dozen St John WA sub centres have signed up as charities on CBH Group’s grain trading platform, meaning they can be supported direct from local growers to purchase much needed equipment and support new initiatives.

Western Australia is the biggest grain growing region in the country, with between 11 – 16 million tonnes of grain produced each season. CBH Group, Australia’s largest co-operative and leader in the Australian grain industry, allows WA grain growers who trade grain on its LoadNet system to donate grain or the proceeds of the sale of grain to local charities.

Individual St John WA sub centres across the state can now register as a charity and receive funds from local farmers and grain growers. This program means local growers can directly support their own community by providing financial assistance to their sub centre, improving community resilience as a result.

The sub centres that have signed up to receive donations direct so far include:

• Cervantes
• Dalwallinu
• Denmark
• Esperance
• Gnowangerup
• Jerramungup
• Kondinin – Hyden
• Mt Barker
• Northampton
• Shark Bay
• Wagin
• York

To facilitate these donations, St John WA has launched its Funds From Tonnes campaign via social media to encourage local farmers and grain growers to consider their nearest sub centre as a recipient of their grain or the proceeds of the sale of grain.

St John York recently registered as a charity through the CBH Group grain trading platform and is petitioning local farmers and grain growers to assist with the purchase of a new Community Transport Service (CTS) vehicle. St John WA’s CTS provides a vital transportation service for the community, aiming to fill the void through the provision of a door-to-door service for people who are otherwise unable to travel.

St John York Sub Centre Chairperson, Mia Selly said the program has given them an additional avenue to help fundraise for their sub centre and the local community.

“The CBH program provides locals with an opportunity to give back to their community. Our York Sub Centre is aiming to better service locals by introducing a CTS, which will require us to raise about $40,000,” Ms Selly said.

“With the support of local farmers and grain growers through this program, we’re hoping we can introduce this vehicle to our local community and set up the service within the first half of 2022.”

St John WA Grants Coordinator, Mark Tap said many sub centres across the state are run solely by volunteers and rely on fundraising as a key source of income.

“Through our Funds From Tonnes campaign we’re hoping to attract the attention of grain growers and encourage them to select individual St John WA sub centres as their local charity,” Mr Tap said.

“Through the provision of this funding, CBH Group will be helping to improve community resilience and strengthen their own local community.”

WA farmers and grain growers can sign up to donate to the Funds From Tonnes campaign via the CBH LoadNet system.