For further information on how you can help those affected by the bushfires, read our post here.
It’s all too easy to feel helpless, scared and distraught right now.
Australia is on fire, the words ‘catastrophic,’ ’emergency’, and ‘disaster’ are common place on media websites and on social media, our cherished sunburnt country is looking more apocalyptic by the hour.
But, while these words and frightening images weigh on our consciousness, the hope and overwhelming stories of kindness, generosity and charity must also be acknowledged. It’s the bittersweet silver lining to the current charred, bruised and battered reality facing thousands of Australians.
From the volunteer firefighters who have bravely put their lives at risk, to the fundraising efforts from Australians everywhere, here are just some examples of the Aussie spirit shining through during this tough time.
For those able and with the means to help, we’ve also included a list of ways you can donate at the bottom of this post.
Celeste Barber’s Facebook fundraiser.
In less than three days, comedian Celeste Barber has raised over $31 million dollars and that number continues to rise by thousands every time you refresh the page.
Close to 800,000 people have donated to the page globally, with the money going to the Trustee for NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund.
You can access her fundraiser here.
Sikh volunteers driving 700km to offer free home cooked meals.
A group called Sikh Volunteers Australia have spent the past eight days driving around Victoria to deliver meals at multiple locations.
In one Facebook post, they shared that their chef, Sukhwinder Kaur has been “working continuously” in the last five days in the Gippsland area, preparing around 400 meals a day.
“She has not gone back to home from last five days,” they wrote.
"When I asked you guys to buy his wine the other day I didn’t know if it would even make a difference," she wrote in a post from six days ago.
"Then his phone started pinging with orders. And he looked at me and said in wonder 'I....I think all your people are buying wine' and he peeled himself off the floor, and with every ping I watched him come back to life.
"All of you took a chance on a small business and said 'let me help!' and you did good and I am feeling very #grateful and so is he.
"There’s a long road ahead for him. But every single bottle has made the hugest difference to him, his family, his business and to our family too."
Make It Rain, Fund the Firies 2020.
Musicians are also taking part. Singers like Wolfmother, Bernard Fanning, T’N’T and Monica Frances are joining forces to put on a two-day, 'Make it Rain' festival in Byron Bay on January 8 and 9. Funds raised will go to support NSW RFS Northern Rivers and Far North Coast Brigades.
The tickets have nearly sold out, however multiple other celebrities are auctioning their services and prized possessions and they're still taking bids. On offer is a training session with Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky, a signed surfboard from Stephanie Gilmore and guitar signed by Powderfinger.
Aussies are opening their homes for one another.
When Channel 9 reporter, Brett Mcleod needed overnight accommodation while covering the fires in Lake Conjola, NSW, local resident, Pete, instantly offered his services.
Sharing Pete's note on his Twitter account, it asked Brett to help himself to the filtered water and anything in the fridge or freezer.
"This is what Aussies do in times of need," it read.
Brett's story is just one of many examples of Australians generously opening their homes to those in need.
International organisation Airbnb are also supporting local efforts with their Open Homes program which is offering free accommodation to NSW and Victoria resident in need. Countless hosts have joined in, and you can offer your spare room to the cause through their disaster relief page here.
How can you help?
Cash donations are the most effective method, however charities like Givit and the RSPCA have advertised for specific items to best aid those affected.
Organisations are discouraging people from dropping off miscellaneous items like clothes and furniture to affected areas.
Speaking to the ABC, Givit founder and director Juliette Wright says "it is only hampering their response efforts".
For some more links of where you can donate, see:
State-based fire brigades like the NSW RFS and the Victorian CFA.
Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.
A GoFundMe for the families of Geoffrey Keaton and Andrew O’Dwyer, the two volunteer firefighters who died while fighting a fire in Buxton, NSW. So far the page has raised over $399,000.
Have we missed any other ways Australians banded together in the light of the bushfires? Tell us in a comment below.
Top Comments
Something I just discovered today - you can donate to the Red Cross through your Flybuys points too. I think 1000 points = $5 donation. Worth thinking about if you've got points just sitting there!
#slabsforheroes (on Facebook) in Canberra have shipped tonnes of goods to where it is needed on the South Coast. The organisers, volunteers, truckies and people and businesses donating are just amazing