If there’s one good thing to come out of this season’s bushfire crisis, it’s the way that people have come together to support total strangers. The Holidays with Kids team has put together a list of ways that you can help those affected get back on their feet.
We’re lucky, here at Holidays with Kids. We get to travel the world and see the most extraordinary sights. But in doing that, you often realise just how lucky you are to live here in Australia. We have some of the most captivating scenery you’ll find, anywhere in the world.
So as bushfires sprung up across the country, we could only watch on as the places we know and love went up in smoke. Homes, businesses, entire communities were destroyed. By mid-January, 10.7 million hectares (more than three times the area of Belgium) had been burned, and 23 people killed.
But now, as our firies to get these fires under control, recovery is the name of the game. Families need to rebuild their homes and businesses are trying to get back on their feet.
These people can’t do it alone though. If there’s one good thing to come out of this crisis, it’s the way that strangers have come together to support people in need.
For those in a position to donate, money is more useful to affected communities than clothes or food right now. The CFA, Victoria’s rural fire fighting service, said that “experience tells us that donation of money is much more effective and provides more flexibility than the donation of material items or pre-loved goods.”
And there are plenty of worthy causes around. To support those on the front line of fighting these fires, the NSW Rural Fire Service, the Country Fire Authority in Victoria, South Australia’s Country Fire Service and the Rural Fire Brigades Association Queensland are all running appeals to support firefighting efforts in their respective states.
To directly support the families of fallen firefighters, the NSW RFS has established official funds for the families of Samuel McPaul, Geoffrey Keaton and Andrew O’Dwyer, who lost their lives battling fires. Donations can be made here.
Other charities that require support include the Salvation Army, the Red Cross and the St Vincent de Paul Society, all of which provide food, clothing and support to those affected.
If you’re after a way to raise money while getting fit, Relief Run 2020 will donate 100% of your $50 registration fee to the Australian Red Cross: Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund. The catch? You’ll have to run either a 21.1-kilometre half marathon, or (for the weak) a shorter five-kilometre option.
Although authorities have warned against large-scale donation of goods as they’re already overwhelmed with the sheer quantity that has been donated, Givit is the perfect charity for those not in a position to donate money. The Queensland Government-backed not-for-profit supports those needing goods by connecting them with people looking to donate.
Airbnb is also giving charitable citizens a chance to help until 30 January, through its Open Homes program. Those living near the affected regions can offer up a spare room as temporary accommodation for people who have nowhere to stay. You’re given 24/7 phone support from the Airbnb customer support team, as well as access to a specialised Open Homes team.
Currently it’s estimated that more than a billion animals have perished in this bushfire season. Those that survive often need specialist care, and there are a number of charities and wildlife hospitals working to help these victims of the fires. In the south of NSW, there’s the LAOKO Snowy Mountains Bushfire Appeal, for the rest of the country, the WWF’s Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund. WIRES, Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and Zoos Victoria are all leading the recovery effort as well.
Mogo Wildlife Park, on the NSW South Coast, mostly survived the fires in a town otherwise razed to the ground, but still requires significant work before it can reopen. The team is also helping to rehabilitate local wildlife injured in the fires. Donations to the zoo’s fire recovery Gofundme can be made here.
This is critical, people. If you want to see affected places bounce back, the best way to do it is to go visit them. Go with empty eskies and give these towns your business – eat at their restaurants, stay in their accommodation, buy their fuel. Many of these places rely on tourism as their main source of income, and the only way that they’ll survive is if the tourists continue to come.
Details of which places are safe to visit can be found here, as well as on state tourism boards.
If you can’t make it out to any of the affected areas, you can still help businesses there. Spend With Them is an Instagram account created by prominent bushfire survivor Turia Pitt, aiming to help rebuild towns and businesses affected by the fires. You’ll find everything from bookstores to breweries, as well as plenty of small fashion brands, so there’s something for everyone.
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Lead image © Shutterstock/John Crux
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