Dubbo Show Society secretary Sue Hood said she was excited to receive an almost $4000 grant.

"We will use the $3999 to build a portable kitchen to be used at show time to deliver food for volunteers," she said.

Mrs Hood said they had used the kitchen at the heritage grandstand in the Dubbo Showground but for safety reasons were prevented to enter after a storm in 2001.

This meant at every show they had to hire urns and different cooking equipment to prepare food for the volunteers in a marquee.

"With the grant we can cut down on our costs and we don't have to bring in a stove or microwave," she said.

"If we save $500 on hiring costs it could help run the show for another year. Every bit counts."

The portable kitchen would also be used if there was a working bee and meals could be cooked without a hassle.

She jokingly said the portable kitchen would be covered in cotton after each use to keep it safe.

Mrs Hood applied for the grant in late July and she had to prove the money would be used to help the 1000-plus volunteers.

The application process was a new experience for the show society as they were knocked back in the past for a grant and had not applied since.

"To have received that amount gives us courage to apply for other grants to help our volunteers," she said.

It was becoming more difficult to earn that fundraising dollar and the grant would go a long way to assist them.

Mrs Hood said the federal government deserved a "big thank-you" for the grant and she promised it would be used in the right way.

The Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin and the Minister for Community Services Julie Collins announced that more than 166,000 volunteers across 4800 organisations throughout Australia benefited from funding of $16 million under Volunteer Grants 2012.

The cost of running the show was more expensive each year and any money received was appreciated.

Mrs Hood said the show society was "on the go" preparing to bring the 140th annual show to Dubbo.

The subcommittees were organising competitions and fine tuning horse sections and entertainment.

"It'll be a bigger and better show next year," she said.

"We're always trying to create something new and a little different of entertainment."

Mrs Hood praised the "army of volunteers" who without their dedication, time and effort the show would not have been possible.

"The amount of volunteering which goes in the show is extensive," she said.

"I want to say a big thank you to the volunteers for their efforts and without them it wouldn't have been possible to receive the grant."

abanob.saad@ruralpress.com