Initiative rolls out cheer to far-flung farms
Rural areas: When times were tough care was on way
Central Hawke’s Bay woman Diana Greer appreciates a good hug. She’s been getting her fair share of them lately and it all goes to show — what you give out, you get back.
Greer is the spark in the engine that drives The Collective Hug, a network of volunteers working to bring some cheer to the Hawke’s Bay farmers battling against the ravages of recent weather and the challenges of making a living from the land.
The Collective Hug germinated during the drought of 2020, which combined with Covid to create “the perfect storm” for producers of crops and livestock.
“When Poppy Renton started the HB Farmers Drought Page on Facebook, to offer farmers positive messages and help, I thought it was a great initiative and offered to make a couple of fruit cakes,” Greer says.
That was the start of it. Fruit cakes became food donations, people started baking and from her CHB home Greer organised delivery runs in May and midJuly, 2020. A company donated 30 tonnes of dog roll, pallets of canned soup arrived, and many other contributions were made and Greer organised more deliveries.
“It all happened so fast, it’s a bit of a blur now. I came up with the name ‘The Collective Hug’ because that’s what it felt like.
“The rural fraternity is good at helping one other. They have each other’s backs. I’m passionate about anything rural and always have been so it felt like a good thing to do — helping each other and giving morale a boost.
“A lot of people baked and donated and a lot of people helped deliver.
During that drought we covered from Te Pohue and Tutira towards Pōrangahau and everything in between.”
In February, when Cyclone Gabrielle struck, Greer and her husband Jerry — a Central Hawke’s Bay district councillor — were at the beach.
And Greer said: “I have to do something — I think I’ll crank up The Collective Hug again.”
The machine swung into action. “The two events were polar opposites, but they needed the same sort of response. I was asked to do an interview on the radio, which I did and then the offers of help started coming in. Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were offered, and we took this up and did a huge drop-off to Tutira.”
Donations of food started arriving, a bank account was opened and people from outside the area donated funds, which Greer used to buy green vegetables, milk, cheese and butter for delivery to areas that had very little access. Greer also put out a call for bread makers and was given five; they were delivered to areas also with limited access, along with bread mix and yeast, dozens of eggs and litres of milk.
There was even a very welcome donation of 3000 paper bags.
“I’m normally a private person,” Greer says,“but I love doing this and I am prepared to push out of my comfort zone to get it done.”
“I’m a good ‘asker’ — I have no problem asking for things, you just have to be prepared for people to say no.”
Greer got in touch with Whittaker’s and they donated a huge amount of chocolate treats, Taupō Pak’nSave gave a huge amount of Easter eggs, and after an email to Scully’s three huge boxes of beautiful body products arrived at her front door.
A friend who worked in a pharmacy got in touch with an Elizabeth Arden rep and not too long afterwards Greer was told there were 35 boxes of product.
“I thought they would be samples, but it was Ceremide face cream, White Tea fragrance and hand cream and the wonderful 8-hour cream, the look of delight on the women’s faces realising there is a treat especially for