Parma for Farmer campaign

Chicken parmigiana will figure prominently in a new online campaign to help Australia’s drought stricken farmers.

Restaurants will now be offering money to the Parma for a Farmer campaign for every one of the cheesy delights sampled in their venues.

The actual amounts donated to the campaign from the sale of parmas vary from place-to-place. However, the general rule is that $1 from each parma sold goes toward the cause.

Which means every parma eaten in a pub will help a farmer.

The Parma for a Farmer campaign coincides with the Government announcing a $190 million drought relief package. Under the scheme, eligible farmers will get cash payments of up to $12,000.

The Parma for a Farmer campaign aims at trying to help out a little more and adding to that.

While the farmers are doing it hard on the east coast, the campaign has really taken off in Western Australia.

Esperance Travellers Inn chef Natalie Gilbert said they sold 36 parmigianas in two days after the campaign was announced.

“There is a booking for tomorrow night for 21 people just for parmigianas,” Ms Gilbert told the West Australian. “We are obviously from a farming town, so we know people who are being impacted.

“There are also donation tins on the bars which are going well.”

Over at the Imperial Hotel, based in Broomehill, fundraiser organiser Hailey Mitchell is doing one better. She’s offering $2 from every parma sold going to farmers.

“We had a fundraising gig on Saturday night and so far we have raised more than $300,” she told the West Australian. “That is just from different donations and does include the meals we sold yet.”

Miss Mitchell said Broomehill was a small community which relied heavily on farmers. “In our community if something bad was to happen, the pub would go,” she said. “We just hate to see people struggling.”

Leon Gettler - 10 August 2018