By Lance Isbister  September 9 2010

Mid Canterbury Rural Women are baking up a storm to send to rural people affected by the earthquake in Canterbury.

Mid Canterbury Rural Women president Maureen Maginness contacted all the branches of Rural Women urging members to pick up their bowls and spoons and bake non-perishable biscuits, loaves and fruit cakes.

Mrs Maginness said Rural Women members can bring their baking to two collection points at 73 Alford Forest Road and her home at 267 Winchmore School Road by 4pm today.

"It's always important to help our neighbours because everybody else has always been there for us during events like the big snow, it's our turn to help them now."

Rural Women have liaised with Federated Farmers who will dispense the baking through their field officers who are visiting rural homes in the affected area to ensure they have support.

"We just want to send our thoughts to our farming compatriots in the disaster area," Mrs Maginness said.

Winchmore Rural Women member Jennifer Bateman was only too pleased to bake a batch of Belgium biscuits for the cause as a benefactor of community support when she and her husband Bob lived in Rakaia Gorge and received anonymous rations during the snowstorm of 1993.

"People I didn't even know used to drop packages off when we lived in Rakaia Gorge."

Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers president Michael Morrow said there will be ongoing issues the community in affected areas will be dealing with in post restoration after the earthquake.

He was confident the baking would be well received by rural people living in the affected area.

"There are a lot of people with kitchens destroyed around the area of the fault line."