In 2026, the RAS Foundation Charity Brunch is raising vital funds to support early literacy programs for children in Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra and Walgett. This program provides every child with a free, high quality and age-appropriate book every month from birth to age five to help build strong reading habits and brighter futures.

With 22% of Australian children starting school facing developmental challenges, reading at home is one of the most effective ways to help them overcome these barriers. Access to books has never mattered more.

In 2021, the NSW Government partnered with United Way Australia to enrol up to 17,000 children in the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program, improving access to books and encouraging shared reading at home. However, this government grant ends in June 2026, and these communities, which already face some of the lowest literacy rates in NSW, are now working to self fund the program so children can continue receiving books at home.