Community & Business
2 September, 2022
Growers give back
A GENEROUS donation of $7,500 has been made to the Mareeba Friends of the Hospital foundation by FNQ Growers to help make the local hospital a more comfortable environment for patients and staff.
Every year, FNQ Growers donate a portion of their profits to the Hospital Foundation and have promised to continue donating to their cause in any way they can.
This year’s cheque is set to go towards a new portable ultrasound machine in the hospital, allowing doctors to access the equipment quicker and easier throughout the entire facility.
Mareeba Friends of the Hospital Foundation president Neil Setford is very grateful for the growers’ continuing support and says with this funding, a trip to the hospital will be a lot easier.
“The hospital has everything they need from the government, so they already have a fantastic ultrasound there, but this donation is for another one to make it easier,” he said.
“So, if they want to do an ultrasound in maternity or in emergency, they don’t need to go all the way to x-ray and wheel it back and forward – there will be two that can be used throughout the hospital.
“That will save 15 to 20 minutes of time and doctors are able to put more patients through more quickly.”
FNQ Growers president Joe Moro believes helping the Mareeba Hospital staff and patients is very important and is proud to continue supporting the foundation.
He says if it wasn’t for the people purchasing their fruits and vegetables, they wouldn’t have been able to donate so much from the profits made.
“All the money has gone to a good cause, and I think a part of the reason we do it is so people know that a little bit is going back to the community,” he said.
“The hospital is critically important to the community, not only to Mareeba but to all of the communities.
“We have been very pleased to be associated with these guys and we go way back. The TVs in the hospital came from funding that FNQ Growers contributed and so was partially the playground.”
