Farmer Autovillage 30th Year Celebration Grants drive future generations

Farmer Autovillage, which includes EVs, marks its 30-year milestone this November with three community grants worth tens of thousands of dollars.

“This is our way of saying thank you to the Bay of Plenty for all the support this region has shown our business across the last 30 years,” group managing director Mike Farmer says.

“Continuing support for the Bay of Plenty community is our responsibility and our future.”

The grants are focused on driving important areas that bring benefit to as many as possible – education, community and environment.

Three initiatives have been selected for positively impacting and providing support for current and future generations in the Bay of Plenty.

Education

Western Bay of Plenty’s The Acorn Foundation, which connects caring people and organisations with causes that matter and helps build a permanent endowment fund that will cater for the region’s current and future needs, has been tasked by Farmer Autovillage to administer nine Farmer Autovillage scholarships.

Three schools – Mount Maunganui College, Pāpāmoa College and Te Puke high school – will receive three scholarships each.

The total scholarship grant of $27,000 will make a significant difference to nine students who will receive $3000 each towards their tertiary study in 2022.

Applications will be run by each school and open in July 2022. Recipients will be announced at end-of-year prizegiving.

To be eligible, applicants must be committed to completing their full programme of study, show resilience, enthusiasm, be determined to succeed, and stand out from their peers for their strength of character and leadership qualities. They will be able to provide examples of their support and involvement in their local community and/or school.

Local students will benefit greatly from Farmer Autovillage’s generosity as they prepare for their tertiary journeys, Acorn Foundation chief executive Lori Luke says.

“Thanks so much to the whole Farmer Autovillage team for this thoughtful gift, and congratulations on 30 years of successful business in the Bay of Plenty.”

Community

Kura Kai does “whānau cooking for whanau” and achieves this by raising funds to purchase chest freezers, which are donated to the high schools. Volunteers give their time, money and resources to cook nutritious family meals to help keep the freezers well stocked and each school is then responsible for identifying the need and distributing the meals to support rangatahi and their whanau.

Keeping mobile is essential for Kura Kai staff who need to stay connected with their partnered high-schools and communities as well as distribute meals to fill freezers.

Farmer Autovillage providing a long-term vehicle loan – a seven-seat 2021 Nissan X-trail SUV with Kura Kai branding.

“Having a vehicle means we can deliver more meals to our partnering secondary schools and now have the ability to connect with more Kura Kai volunteers and our communities,” Kura Kai general manager Marie Paterson says.

Environment

PiPS (People, Plants, Schools) comprises school parents passionate about the environment and education on how to grow and eat your own food and was formed to help support local school garden programmes.

It employs “garden facilitators” who assist volunteers and staff to run their school gardens and other environmentally based, student focussed projects which include planning, preparing, growing, harvesting, and cooking.

The Farmer Autovillage 30th Year Celebration Grant of $8000 will be shared by seven schools.

“This grant will go towards a special garden and environmental project in each school, involving our garden club students every step of the way,” PiPS manager Clare Rodgers says.

Over the years, Farmer Autovillage has helped many local causes become more mobile, assisting with short-term vehicle loans, project funding and sponsorships.