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How You Can Help With Flood Recovery in Australia
The flooding events throughout south-east Queensland and New South Wales in the past week have left absolute destruction in their wake. Families and communities have been completely devastated, with many losing their homes, pets and possessions, and in some cases, their loved ones and businesses. The town of Lismore in the Northern Rivers region was hardest hit and is only 20 minutes from The Dharma Door office and our home - this is the place where we go for grocery shopping, to take our dog to the vet, go for a drink and so much more. This thriving town was a bustling hub for many in the region and is known for its diversity and community spirit. We desperately want to see our region recover as quickly and resiliently as possible.
We understand it's difficult to know how to best help from a distance so we've listed some organisations below that are doing amazing work with people and animals. There is a long road ahead and the organisations below are for both emergency and long term recovery. If you have the means to donate - even a small amount - it will be put to good use by whichever organisation you choose to support. Please be mindful that some of these organisations are run by volunteers and they will be overwhelmed at this time. If you have a question, we suggest you check their websites and social media accounts to see if you can find the answer there before you contact them 🖤 We will continue to update this list, so remember to save the page tab so you can refer back if you need to.
TO SUPPORT PEOPLE IN NEED:
Lismore City Council Flood Appeal
To help with our flood affected community, you can donate to the Lismore Flood Fund by direct bank transfer.
Donate here:
Name: Lismore City Council - Flood Fund Account
BSB: 062 565
Account: 10864633
GIVIT
GIVIT is managing offers of donated goods, services, volunteering and funds, including corporate offers, in response to the widespread flooding across Queensland and New South Wales. 100% of publicly donated funds received by GIVIT will be used to purchase exactly what's needed by people and communities impacted by storms and flooding. Donate HERE.
Bundjalung Community Flood Relief - by Koori Mail
Koori Mail is a fortnightly national indigenous newspaper based in Lismore. The newspaper is owned by five Bundjalung Aboriginal organisations whose communities have all been directly impacted. This fund will go directly to the people and communities without deduction. Donate HERE.
Women Up North
WUNH is a Lismore-based not-for-profit that has provided housing support to women, children and young people experiencing domestic or family violence in the northern rivers for more than 30 years. Their buildings in East Lismore were inundated with flood water and they unable to resume face-to-face work from these buildings until they are structurally sound and fully refurbished. Your donations will assist WUNH to re-establish their offices and deliver vital flood-relief to families in the Northern Rivers. Support will be tailored to meet individual needs and may include; vouchers, food, personal care items, baby products and emergency accommodation. Donate HERE.
Australian Red Cross Floods Appeal
Donations to the Qld and NSW Floods Appeal will help Red Cross to provide vital humanitarian support to the people and communities affected by the floods. Based on ongoing needs assessment in Queensland and NSW and the amount raised, that support may include: Enabling volunteers and staff to help with evacuation and relief centres and outreach service + supporting people and communities to recover and to build resilience for the next two years. Donate HERE.
Vinnies Flood Appeal
The St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia has more than 60,000 members and volunteers, who work hard to assist people in need and combat social injustice across Australia.These funds will go towards providing food, clothing, bedding, furniture, appliances and assistance with household bills. Donate HERE.
The Salvation Army
Right now, The Salvation Army Emergency Services Team and volunteers are in full operation across evacuation centres in QLD and NSW providing meals and emotional support to emergency workers and people escaping from the floodwaters. With more support needed to provide emergency care in the days and weeks ahead, your help is urgently needed now to leave no one in need. Donate HERE.
Airbnb.org
In an emergency, you can offer people in crisis a place to stay as a Host OR you can donate to help cover the cost of temporary accommodation. Airbnb.org waives all service fees, so every dollar you donate helps people find a place to stay when they need it most. Your contribution can help a displaced family find a place to stay, or a relief-worker get some rest after a long day. Airbnb.org also gives grants to nonprofits that connect people to temporary housing, resources, and specialised support in times of crisis.
To start hosting a displaced person or family through Airbnb.org, click HERE. Or donate HERE.
Foodbank
As the largest food relief organisation in Australia, Foodbank restores hope to people who are struggling by rescuing and sourcing food and groceries from farmers, manufacturers and retailers and distributing them to front line charities and schools around the country to provide to individuals, children and families in need. Thanks to the support of friends like you we can provide over 206,000 meals a day. Foodbank will be there to provide support to victims and ensure they have access to clean water and emergency food supplies during the flood crisis and are ready to provide emergency food hampers to thousands of families who have been evacuated from their homes. Donate HERE.
TO SUPPORT PETS IN NEED:
ARC (Animal Rescue Cooperative)
ARC is a joint project of many volunteer-led rescue groups around Australia. They have set up a pop-up hub in Lismore with volunteers to distribute much needed animal food to displaced people with pets and rescued animals. They are filling the hub with supplies that will be distributed over the coming weeks to make sure the animals are comfortable and well fed. They need financial support for food, water treatment, pumps and containment for animals caught up in the QLD/NSW floods. Donate HERE.
Animal Rights and Rescue Group
ARRG is a Lismore-based non-kill, foster-care group, that rescues and cares for animals until they find their forever home. They also support people in times of hardship by providing temporary shelter for pets while they recover. ARRG assists local pounds when required and other agencies such as hospitals, refuges, and vets for re-homing of pets in times of crisis. Since 1995 ARRG has rescued and re-homed over 15,000 unwanted animals! Their foster carers and volunteers are all unpaid and as a self-funded volunteer group without government support, they rely solely on donations to keep saving animals lives. 100% of donations are put towards the animals. Donate HERE.
RSPCA
TO SUPPORT WILDLIFE IN NEED:
WIRES fully equipped emergency vehicles are out every day, attending critical rescues, providing vital advice and supporting our thousands of volunteers as they care for sick, injured and displaced wildlife during the floods in QLD & NSW. They have been rescuing exhausted seabirds, drenched possums, orphaned wallaby and kangaroo joeys. They are ordering and coordinating the delivery of support food for wildlife that are isolated or surrounded by water and in some areas their very experienced volunteers have been assisting vet clinics to triage native animals as vets are cut off from their clinics. They require ongoing financial assistance to distribute funds to carers across the states and provide direct emergency assistance on the ground. Donate HERE.
Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital operates from a customised semi-trailer sized veterinary hospital that can be rushed to wherever the wildlife emergency is. Through a planned national rollout, they can facilitate response to treat injured and traumatised native animals, and avoid the suffering our precious wildlife endure during crises events like bushfires and floods. They operate full-time veterinary services for wildlife year round from our base in Byron Bay, working in collaboration with wildlife care groups to provide expert care for native animals impacted by diseases, habitat loss, traffic, urbanisation and pollution. Donate HERE.
Stranded and struggling in floodwaters, animals across southeast Qld and northern NSW are in desperate need of help. Your donation will help wildlife rescue partners respond to this disaster, support carers and vets to nurse injured animals back to health and repair wildlife facilities damaged by floods. Once the waters subside, you'll also help flood-damaged tree planting projects - critical to the survival of koalas - get back on track, as well as efforts to build Australia's resilience against future disasters. Donate HERE.
TO SUPPORT FARM ANIMALS & FARMERS IN NEED:
Animal Welfare League mobilised quickly and has already started delivering much-needed hay and a mobile vet service to treat injured animals in the Northern Rivers region. AWL NSW relies on generous donations to help care for hundreds of animals that need our support each year. Donate HERE.
Rural Aid is one of Australia's largest rural charities. Well known for the highly successful 'Buy a Bale' campaign, the charity also provides financial assistance, water and counselling to farmers in times of drought, flood or fire. Lismore and the Northern Rivers has a large farming community that has been severely impacted by this recent flood. Donate HERE.
TO SUPPORT ARTS IN THE NORTHERN RIVERS:
Arts Northern Rivers
The creative sector across the entire region has collectively suffered untold losses: galleries losing entire collections, studios, equipment, and artworks in ruin, and livelihoods in freefall. Along with this, Lismore-based Arts Northern Rivers has also lost their office to the floods. With a core value of advocacy, ANR has already reached out to the region's colleagues and peers to begin the task of tracking the scale of the damages. These damages are rising into the tens of millions in building and infrastructure alone including; Lismore Regional Gallery, The Northern Rivers Conservatorium, M-Arts (Murwillumbah), Byron School of Art, Spaghetti Circus, and so many more. They are working with these orgs to support them in strategies for recovery.
The peak arts organisation for the region, ANR is advocating for support from all available avenues including state and federal governments, philanthropic, corporate and private channels. While these take time, the creative community needs assistance now via the Arts Northern Rivers’ Flood Recovery campaign. Donate HERE.
Clay for Northern Rivers
Lismore TAFE, one of Australia's most established ceramic schools, was totally inundated, and all the equipment, wheels, kilns, tools and supplies have been destroyed, spoilt and severely damaged. Students have lost all their supplies and tools, completed work and work in progress. The leading supplier of all things clay, Northern Rivers Pottery Supplies, based in Lismore was also inundated. Your donation will go directly to the people and institutions who need it, supporting local clay-based businesses and supporting The Northern Rivers' clay community. Donate HERE.
Screenworks
Screenworks creates and manages innovative programs for screen content creators and practitioners in regional and remote Australia to help them to progress their careers. They are currently raising funds to help screen/film practitioners and businesses in the Northern Rivers region who have been impacted by the floods. All donations received under this cause will be used solely towards helping people and businesses in our local film industry who need support to replace essential equipment, tools or materials, that have been lost as a result of the floods and affects their ability to generate income. Donate HERE.
TO SUPPORT EDUCATION:
Northern Rivers Preschool Alliance
The recent catastrophic flood has caused significant damage to many of their member preschools, including Coraki, East Lismore, Lismore, St Marys, Evans Head-Woodburn, Bentley, and more. They are aiming to raise $50000, to split equally between the ten or more preschools affected.
Each preschool will use their share of the money to reopen as soon as possible, so they can return to supporting the children and the families in their communities. The money will buy toys, equipment, art supplies, and books and restock the educators' professional teaching items. Donate HERE.
SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH:
It's been an overwhelming time for many. If you or someone you know is having trouble coping, please contact one of the following services:
Lifeline 13 11 14
Kids Helpline 1800 551 800
MensLine Australia 1300 789 978
Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
Headpsace 1800 650 890
ReachOut at au.reachout.com
Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN) 1800 008 774
Image credits:
1. Alex Clarke @lensretrospect, 2. Getty Images, 3. Unknown, 4. Brendan Beirne @mediamode, 5. Brendan Beirne @mediamode, 6. Shannon Sheedy @thedharmadoor
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