The regional South Australian food business, Woodlane Pantry, was founded with a simple purpose: to save food and support farmers.
For the past six years, Woodlane Pantry has worked with growers to find a home for surplus and imperfect produce that may otherwise go to waste, transforming it into shelf-stable meals and products.
In that time, the business has rescued more than 170 tonnes of food, returned more than $1 million in value to farmers and produced more than 75,000 meals.
Through its Pay It Forward Farmer Packs, Woodlane Pantry is extending that commitment to farmers by helping put practical, nourishing food into the homes of farming families who need a little extra support.
Each $50 pack contains a selection of practical, shelf-stable Woodlane Pantry meals and is donated to the Rural Business Support Relief Fund, with RBS Rural Financial Counsellors delivering the packs directly to farming families.
Woodlane Pantry director, Kelly Johnson, says the initiative brings the story of the business full circle.
“We take produce that farmers have grown, give it a purpose, and then some of that food finds its way back into the homes of farming families when they need a little extra support.”
So far, 47 Farmer Packs have been donated, with a recent $1,000 contribution funding another 20 packs and bringing the total to 67.
For Kelly, the value of the packs goes beyond the food inside.
“RBS counsellors are often sitting across the table from farming families during some incredibly challenging times. These packs give them something tangible, useful and positive to physically hand to a family.”
“It’s not another form or another difficult conversation; it’s a box of food that quietly says, someone is thinking about you.”
The goal now is to grow the initiative from 67 packs into hundreds.
Individuals can purchase a Pay It Forward Farmer Pack through Woodlane Pantry, while businesses, charities, service clubs and community organisations are also encouraged to consider funding multiple packs.
Each contribution creates a ripple effect. Supporting a regional small business, making use of Australian produce and putting practical food directly into the hands of farming families.
For Woodlane Pantry, it’s a simple idea that reflects what the business has always been about: farmers supporting farmers, small business supporting community, and people looking after people.
Want to pay it forward?
Visit the Woodlane Pantry website to donate a Farmer Pack for a South Australian farming family.
