Students at Croydon Park Public School in Sydney’s inner west have spread some Christmas cheer by creating cards to send messages of hope and support to drought-affected farmers.

Around 250 handmade cards were created by Kindergarten to Year 6 students as part of Rural Aid’s Christmas Cards 4 Farmers initiative that asked children across Australia to show their love and kindness to the farmers who help feed, clothe and keep the country rolling.

Croydon Park Public School’s assistant principal Sally Webeck thought the initiative would be a good way for the students to build a connection with the country and develop their empathetic skills.

“When we saw that Rural Aid had initiated a drive to bring the city and the country together and allow school children to show love and kindness for others who are doing it tough, it felt really important for the city kids at our school to be involved in it,” Sally said.

“This initiative started discussions about weather, extreme drought, what it means for families living through extreme drought and how the day-to-day lives of school-aged children living through drought is different from ours.”