You might remember a couple months ago we launched The Koala Foundation and had space themed koala apparel for purchase to support University of Tasmania Robotics after they lost everything in flooding. Our intention was to release a Koala Foundation campaign once to twice a year to raise money for different causes. We never thought we’d have a second campaign so soon. But here we are.
100% of our home state, New South Wales, is in a drought. To give our North American friends a better idea of the scale about which we’re talking, NSW is ~15% larger than Texas. In outback NSW, the main industry is Agriculture, so when drought hits times get tough. Many are calling this the worst drought in NSW’s history. Already hay bales have started coming from Tasmania and Western Australia up to NSW to help keep the livestock alive.
Our team’s home, Sydney, is in a severe drought and measures are starting to come into play to make the water we have last as long as possible. But we’re the lucky ones, industry here isn’t dependent on water to survive. Many of our outback FRC teams are in the hardest hit areas and will struggle to find the needed funds this year.
And so, we are coming out with our second Koala Foundation campaign, this time for drought relief. You can purchase water-themed Koala Foundation apparel here. As always, 100% of profits will go straight to non-profits, this time those supporting drought relief. Or, please consider donating. There are plenty of charities available, including Rotary, The Australian Red Cross, and Buy-a-Bale.
Please know we thought a lot about this, could we really ask people to give again so soon? And we eventually realised that the need here outweighs any concerns we might have. Our state needs all the help we can get. We hope this campaign can help until the rains return.
