Rabobank’s Rabo Community Fund in partnership with the ‘edu-tainment’ brand ‘George the Farmer’ has donated a record number of book packs to educational institutions across Australia during National Book Week.
The specialist agribusiness bank – in collaboration with George the Farmer – awarded 70 book packs, with a collection of all 13 Australian-made George the Farmer picture storybooks to primary schools, kindergartens, pre-schools, early learning centres and childcare centres around the country for their libraries.
Rabobank head of community and client engagement Glenn Wealands said the initiative, now in its third year, attracted an “impressive 450 applications from large and small centres of learning”.
Mr Wealands said the interest from educational institutions – from both metro and country locations – highlighted the appetite for children to learn about where their food and fibre comes from in an entertaining and engaging way.
“George the Farmer book packs will be going out to institutions from Charleville in Queensland to Perth, Western Australia,” he said.
Kongorong Primary School and Naracoorte South Primary School were among eight schools to be awarded the book packs.
George the Farmer author and Penola local Simone Kain said Book Week was one of her favourite times of the year.
“The photos I receive of little George the Farmers and Ruby Farmers dressed up in classrooms across the country make me incredibly proud,” she said.
“Knowing that these characters – and the themes of farming – are inspiring a love of reading in young minds is truly rewarding.
“After all, this inspiration is what kick-starts their entire learning journey.”
Ms Kain said finding the right book could be transformative.
“Stories that reflect a child’s environment, culture or interests can make reading come alive,” she said.
“That’s why we created George the Farmer – to offer curriculum-aligned teaching resources, videos, and books that are both relatable and engaging to not just farm kids – but every child.
“Our platform has helped educate over 600,000 children to date across Australia about food and fibre, making a significant impact on their learning.”
She said the partnership with Rabobank had seen about 6000 George the Farmer books distributed to schools across Australia and New Zealand, which helped boost literacy and strengthened understanding of food and fibre.
