Each year the CEF grants between $20,000 and $25,000 among 15 to 20 applicants which goes towards accommodation, course fees, textbooks, computers, equipment and uniforms.

President of the Boorowa committee, Justin Fleming, said there could be considerable costs for rural based families in sending a student away to university or TAFE.

"They are obviously anxious about leaving home and starting a new part of their lives, if we can eliminate some of the financial burden, that's what we do," he said.

"The grants help them with the upfront costs of getting there and established, as well as things throughout the year.

"It can be tough to get the textbooks or bits and pieces of equipment they need, or pay a bond or for some accommodation, so it makes a huge difference," he said.

While fundraising, donations and contributions from companies, philanthropists and the universities themselves helps bring in some of the grant money, personal donations make up the bulk and Mr Fleming said the CEF is asking for locals help.

"We've just come off two big years of fundraising with the Pig Push so we decided to give it a rest (this year)," he said.

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"We'd covered the same track two years in a row and the people who put us up in accommodation and feed us were all the same.

"So we thought we would give them a rest, economically the last year hasn't been wonderful with the dry times.

"That's where the community comes in, the majority of the funds we allocate to young people from Boorowa come from donations that are made to us from the community, the community helping their own.

"People can see the result of their contribution, they are helping people that they know so I think there is a sense of pride amongst the people who donate.

"In some instances, and it's not a pre-requisite, the young people who have been supported have found their way back and established businesses or work in this community and other rural communities and so it goes the full circle," he said.

One such student who has been supported by the CEF is Olivia Gay.

Ms Gay, a second year Bachelor of Occupational Therapy student studying at Deakin University in Geelong, is a grant recipient from 2018 and 2019.

She said it was a relief to receive the grants and thanked the community for financing her.

"I moved out of home and onto residential accommodation for my first year," she said.

"I applied for the scholarship when I was in the UK and was successful. It's some reassurance knowing there was money to back me up.

"I put my grant towards my rent, paid off first month and took the pressure off myself, it's a lot of money you don't think about.

"The CEF helped and I'm very grateful. Students should definitely apply, any bit of money you can get will help," she said.

Mr Fleming said any contribution was gratefully received and put to good use.

"Although we've been a little bit quieter on the fundraising, promotion and media side of things we are still poking away and we've given 20 odd thousand to applicants this year," he said.

"There has been over 200 recipients in the past 25 years and the support we have been able to give them has come from people in the community.

"Without the committee and community we wouldn't be able to support the amount of students we have, so a sincere thanks to everyone who has supported us and on behalf of all those who have benefited we extended a huge thank you.

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"It doesn't just start and stop with a few dollars, it's also through encouragement and financial help, we try to keep in touch and see how they are going and if they need other support we will assist with that as well," he said.

Mr Fleming congratulated past and present committees for ensuring students know help is there and said fundraising would return again in 2020.

The community can give donations the Boorowa CEF directly:

BSB: 633 000

Account Number: 158 178 913

Or through a cheque made out to the Boorowa Country Education Foundation and sent to PO Box 83, Boorowa, 2583.