Over the past four months, Australia has been facing devastating bushfires that have caused nationwide destruction with millions of acres of land burned, thousands of homes destroyed and the death of an estimated half a billion animals ? Fighting one of the worst bushfires seen in decades, the disastrous fire has left many feeling broken hearted, distressed and fearful.
Though the massive wildfire continues to blaze throughout the country, the outpouring response and support by local community members amid this tragedy is a positive news coming out of Australia’s bushfire.
Among the many acts of kindness, a group of women from the Australian Islamic Centre has recently taken the initiative to help out bushfire victims by organizing a sausage sizzle to raise money. Within 48 hours, the group from Newport in Victoria filled five trucks of donated supplies while raising a total of $1,500. They then drove more than four hours to Johnsonville, along with other volunteers, to distribute the supplies to victims.
When they arrived at the destination, the group continued to lend a helping hand by cooking breakfast for 150 firefighters from the Johnsonville Fire Brigade. Their tireless efforts in aiding the people affected by the fires are truly commendable and with people across the country and the world banding together to combat this tragic situation as well, the collective action can help to make a difference ❤️
How can I help?
While you can find many links to different donations and sites for Australia’s bushfire crisis online, it’s important to make sure that your contributions are going towards legitimate organizations. To guide you along, here are some ways you can help the people and animals affected by the devastation:
For the firefighters:
1. New South Wales
Donations to the NSW Rural Fire Service via the RFS website will directly benefit volunteers fighting fires on the frontline.
2. South Australia
To make donations to CFS volunteer firefighters in South Australia, you can make your contributions through the RFS foundations website.
3. Victoria
Support the efforts of Victorian firefighters by donating to the state's Country Fire Associates on the CFA website .
For the affected locals:
1. Australian Red Cross
Accepting donations to its Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund to support people sheltering in evacuation and recover center as well as providing emergency grants to help with the victims' immediate needs, donations can be made via their website.
2. Foodbank
Foodbank delivers emergency food and water relief to bushfire affected communities in Victoria's East Gippsland region. You can make your donations via their website.
3. Givit
Givit is a service that lists the exact needs of individuals through charities so that the public is able to donate those items accurately. This free community service is currently running two campaigns for NSW (New South Wales) and Queensland bushfire victims. You can make your donations via their website.
For the wildlife:
1. WIRES
To help wildlife victims of the bushfire in New South Wales, you can donate to Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service's (WIRES) website.
2. Wildlife Victoria
To help wildlife victims of the bushfires in Victoria, make a direct donation to Wildlife Victoria.
3. WWF
Setting up a "Help Save Koalas Fund", you can make our donations to The World Wildlife Fund for Nature's (WWF) website.