Westpac has put up $200,000 to help farmers and communities affected by one of the worst droughts in living memory.

The bank has donated $100,000 to The Salvation Army Rural Support Services Program, and is offering $100,000 in Community Resilience grants.

The Salvo’s Rural Support Services program has been helping rural and regional communities for over 100 years by relieving financial pressures and supporting people with health related issues.

The Community Resilience grants are available to not-for-profit organisations and community groups in drought-affected areas and will be directed towards projects that help to build community resilience.

Westpac is also encouraging its employees to give generously to the Salvation Army and other registered drought-related charities, and will match employee donations to eligible Australian charities through its Matching Gifts program.

Westpac branches across Australia are also supporting public donations.

“We have a deep commitment to supporting farmers and rural and regional Australia, and our thoughts are with the many thousands of people that are battling one of the worst droughts on record,” said Westpac National Manager of Agribusiness, Stephen Hannan.

“We work closely with our agribusiness customers to support them through both good and bad cycles and know that times like these can be extremely tough.”

Mr Hannan said they have been proactively contacting many of their customers and encourage farmers to contact their Westpac Relationship Manager for a confidential review to understand the financial options available to them.

He said Westpac Agribusiness can offer customers a range of practical solutions that provide immediate financial relief, such as deferring loan repayments and restructuring existing loans with no fees.

“Through this personalised support, we aim to give our farmers confidence and certainty so they can focus on more critical issues like looking after their loved ones and keeping their businesses running,” Mr Hannan said.

Information on how to apply for the Community Resilience grants will be available on the Westpac National Disaster Recovery Fund website.

...From a bank who last year had a net profit of $7,990 million...