DROUGHT relief was delivered to the region over the weekend from a group of Sydney Sikhs with almost $3000 worth of food and household goods donated to the Salvation Army Dubbo branch.
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Amar Singh, the driving force behind the donation, said he understood firsthand the hardship farmers were experiencing, having come from an agricultural-based background in Punjab, India.
Mr Singh said he had first learned of the severity of the hard-hitting drought in central west NSW from none other than Alan Jones on Sydney radio station 2GB.
Curiosity got the better of him and Mr Singh said he soon found himself researching the situation and watching informing documentaries.
"It really burred me up," Mr Singh said.
"I couldn't believe how many people were going through this situation with literally everything that could go wrong happening."
After hearing of other drought relief campaigns, such as Buy-A-Bale, Mr Singh called upon the Sikh community in Sydney for assistance.
"We did most of our promoting on social media, which allowed us to gather almost $3000 worth of goods to deliver to the farmers," Mr Singh said.
Before Christmas Mr Singh made contact with Dubbo Salvation Army's Lieutenant Mark Townsend, who was more than happy to accept the donation on behalf of the farmers.
Lieutenant Townsend said he was amazed at the Sikh group's momentum and desire to assist the farming community.
"I think it's wonderful what they have done for region," Lieutenant Townsend said.
Along with receiving food and household goods, the Salvation Army also received a large amount of dog food.
"As much as we think about the people when times are tough, it's wonderful to see the animals also being taken into consideration," Lieutenant Townsend said.
After the first delivery, Lieutenant Townsend said there was hope for further trips from the Sydney Sikhs.
