Doing It For Our Farmers Tamworth Food Pantry will close without a new home

All it takes is a very kind heart and a decent-sized shed to save it.

"These farmers don't know where their next meal is coming from," pantry volunteer Sandy Darling-Herbert said.

"We don't want to shut the door on it if we don't have to but unfortunately it will be the situation if we don't find somewhere else to go."

It's been at North West Direct Sales since October but a lease changeover means the pantry will need to find a new home.

The situation has grown so desperate that volunteers have started asking for blankets as more farmers walk off the land and face the very real prospect of homelessness or sleep in their cars.

Cans of soup, dog food and toiletries line the walls but it's the compassionate ear offered by the volunteers that is so valued by the people who walk through the doors.

The private office in the shed acts as something of a therapist's office, Ms Darling-Herbert said.

"We've had some really sad stories, there have been losses from suicide and we only know of these things because of the pantry," she said.

"It's not just putting food in their cupboard, it's treating them as a person still and letting them know they are needed and important."

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The pantry has helped hundreds of farmers as far as Tambar Springs, Walgett and Mullaley.

The volunteers hope someone with a kind heart can offer up a shed with a private office space and bathroom facilities before its forced to close in August.

They have limited ability to offer rent but help out with the bills where they can. If you or someone you know is struggling contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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