Knowing the vegetables wouldn't last until the next market, and her cafe could only hold so much, something had to be done - and fast - to make sure the food wasn't wasted.

She conferred with her Slow Food Hunter Valley members and they hatched a plan. A call from Katie Ferguson - the Gillieston Public School P&C president - around the same time cemented it.

All of the produce that couldn't be sold at the cafe was bought with Slow Food Hunter Valley fundraising funds - so the farmers were paid a fair price.

It was then boxed up and sent to residents stranded at Gillieston Heights thanks to support from the NSW State Emergency Service (SES).

"There was about one tonne of vegetables that went over on the boat and Slow Food Hunter Valley spent $1000 of its funds to pay the farmers," Ms Dempster said.

"Katie's call came straight after we cancelled the earth market. They weren't getting any supplies of fresh food and I was very concerned about that."

Father-and-son farming duo Matthew and Liam Dennis, and Austin Breiner, supplied the produce. The other producers weren't able to take part due to road closures.

Ms Dempster's husband Andrew and his cousin Warren delivered 13 boxes brimming with fresh vegetables to SES volunteers on Cessnock Road.

There was everything from spinach, kale, cabbage and cauliflower, to name a few.

Ms Dempster thanked everyone who helped make the venture a reality, especially SES coordinator Tony Edmunds and Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison and her staff.

"Andrew drove all the way around to Matt's property and picked up what he had and then he came to the cafe, where Austin had dropped off what he had, and we boxed all of it up and labelled it," she said.

"It was a real community effort. The ute was absolutely packed with vegetables. Jenny Aitchison's office organised for it to get onto the flood boat.

"It was a good way to utilise the vegetables and it was a good way to support the community with some fresh food. It would have all gone to waste otherwise."

The produce was taken to the Hub at Gillieston Heights and then cut up and shared with the residents.

The fresh veggies that were left at the cafe soon sold out.

"It was great that people came to the cafe to buy it and that we sold all of it. It would have been a real shame to see the produce go to waste," Ms Dempster said.

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