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Here Are A Bunch Of Good Causes And Businesses That Are Helping Out With The Bushfires

If we've missed one, please let us know in the comments.

by Rob Stott  6 January 2020
Bushfires, charities, koalas

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As bushfires continue to rage across much of NSW, Victoria and South Australia, it’s easy to feel helpless. And while the government is flailing about trying to catch up with the crisis, there are a bunch of businesses, charities, and good causes that are doing their bit to help out.

So we’ve pulled together this list that you can give your money or goods to in order to help out those who need it most. And please, if you’re aware of a business or cause doing some good work that we’ve missed here, please let us know on Facebook.

Bushfire Charities

Let’s start with the big ones: You can donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund here, the NSW Rural Fire Service here, and the Victorian Country Fire Association here. They’re all on the frontlines as the bushfires continue to rage.

Amazingly, comedian Celeste Barber’s fundraiser is well past $33 million dollars, and still rising. You can donate to it here.

Meanwhile, model Kalen Ward says she’s raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for bushfire relief by offering nude photos in exchange for donations. You can read more about her (slightly NSFW) story here.

Another great charity is GIVIT, which acts as a broker between donors and frontline charities, to ensure that goods are making their way to where they’re needed most. You can donate to them here, and GIVIT has a huge list of needed items here.

You can also donate to Foodbank here (just make sure you change to the appropriate state in the top right corner).

How To Support Local Communities

One of the simplest ways you can help rural and regional communities is by buying products that are made there, and one of the easiest ways to do that is through Buy From The Bush.

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Our Heroes Eggboy And Magda Szubanski Are Raising Funds For Bushfire Victims Mental Health

Give them a follow on Instagram or Facebook as they showcase stacks of great stuff that’s produced in regional communities (this is also a great way to help drought-affected communities!). In that spirit, Junkee’s parent company, Ooh Media, is giving staff two extra days of leave for us to visit a bushfire affected community in the 2020 or 2021, which is nice of them.

The NSW government also has this handy guide to buying from regional communities. So if you’re looking for something to drink this weekend, why not buy a Batlow Apple Cider?

If you’d like to give more directly to a community that’s been devastated by bushfires, there’s the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund.

How To Help Australian Wildlife

Of course, it’s not just people who suffer during a disaster like this. Millions of animals have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more have been injured and will need care. If you want to help some of Australia’s native wildlife recover, you can donate to WIRES or The Rescue Collective.

Meanwhile, the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital has raised $3.5 million through this GoFundMe. And with more heatwaves predicted in the coming weeks, don’t forget to leave a water dish out for native wildlife.

Celebs, Comedians, Artists And Authors Raising Funds

A bunch of Aussie musicians, bands and comedians have announced gigs to raise money. Read all about them here.

Over on Twitter, the #AuthorsForFireys hashtag is going off, with a heap of Aussie authors and local bookstores are donating their time and money to help with the relief effort. Go and check it out.

Good eggs Magda Szubanski and Will “Eggboy” Connolly has started a GoFundMe specifically to raise money for ongoing mental health relief for those affected. You can donate here.

And if you watched the first episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Outta Here on Channel 10 last night, you would have seen that the station will match every cent raised for the celebrities’ charities, and give it to the bushfire relief effort.

Help Bushfires Victims Find A Place To Stay

With so many homes destroyed across the country, a lot of people are looking for a place to stay right now. The good folks at Airbnb are doing their bit to help out, and if you’ve got a spare room, you can offer it out to anyone via Find A Bed.

You can read more about both initiatives here.