How to donate to Australia’s bushfire relief effort

As Australia reels from a horror bushfire season, here’s how you can help those affected by the devastation.

A Rural Fire Service volunteer mopping up after a fire.

As countless pictures and stories of the horror of Australia’s bushfire season emerge, people across the country and around the world are digging deep to contribute to the mammoth relief effort.

Mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and his wife Nicola have donated $70 million for recovery and mitigation efforts through the Minderoo Foundation. News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch and his wife Jerry have joined News Corp co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch and his wife, Sarah Murdoch , in pledging $2 million to recovery efforts, with News Corp also donating $5 million to bushfire relief. The Paul Ramsay Foundation has donated $30 million, while James Packer has tipped in $5 million.

Nicola and Andrew Forrest (left) and Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch are among the prominent businesspeople who've come to the aid of bushfire-ravaged communities with massive donations.

Other major donors include National Australia Bank ($5 million), Coles ($4 million), the AFL ($2.5 million), BHP ($2 million), Westpac ($1.5 million), Woolworths ($1.5 million), Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, Rio Tinto, Orica, Pratt Foundation, John and Pauline Gandel, Elton John, Chris Hemsworth, Kyle Jenner, the Portland House Foundation (all $1 million), Metallica ($750,000), Kyle and Dannii Minogue, Justin Hemmes, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban and Pink (all $500,000).

Here are the ways you can help the people and animals affected by the devastation.

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HELP THE FIREFIGHTERS

NSW
Donations made to the NSW Rural Fire Service directly benefit volunteers fighting fires on the frontline. To donate, you can contact your local brigade or via the RFS website.

VICTORIA
The efforts of Victorian firefighters can be supported by donating to the state’s Country Fire Association on the CFA website.

Firefighters watch the blaze on Kangaroo Island. Picture: Hugh Watters

SA
Donations to CFS volunteer firefighters in South Australia can be made through the CFS foundation website.

NATIONAL
Comedian Celeste Barber set up a Facebook fundraiser for the NSW RFS on Friday, January 3 with the initial goal of $30,000. Since then the fundraiser has received almost $50 million in donations from all over the world. In light of the amount of money raised, Ms Barber has stated that she will consult with the RFS to spread the money to other state fire agencies, the Red Cross and the families of those killed in the fires.

This is incredible.
Power to the people. https://t.co/HHemX5P3KM pic.twitter.com/c4CYys3Qy7

— Celeste barber (@celestebarber_) January 5, 2020

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HELP OUR WILDLIFE

Sydney University has estimated that more than 480 million animals have died since September as a result of the fires.

An injured Koala is seen at a forest near Cape Borda on Kangaroo Island.

WIRES
To help wildlife victims of the bushfires in NSW, you can donate to the NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) here.

Port Macquarie Koala Hospital
More than 2000 koalas have died in NSW alone as a result of the bushfires.

To help ensure the survival of koalas who have had their habitat destroyed, a donation can be made to the Port Macquarie Koala hospital on their GoFundMe page.

Wildlife Victoria
To help wildlife victims of the bushfires in Victoria, you can donate directly to Wildlife Victoria.

WWF
The Word Wildlife Fund have set up a “Help Save Koalas Fund”. Donations can be made on their website.

A kangaroo escapes fire in Colo Heights.

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HELP THE PEOPLE AFFECTED

The Salvation Army
The Salvos have launched a disaster appeal to support the communities affected by the bushfires by providing meals, frontline assistance and strategic support over the long term.

Donations can be made by calling 13 SALVOS (13 72 58), at any Woolworths checkout or via their website.

Dig deep and donate to bushfire donation tins which will be seen on the streets of capital cities.

Australian Red Cross
The Australian Red Cross have launched a disaster relief and recovery fund to provide short and long-term support to people and communities impacted by the bushfires. Donations can be made via their website.

Vinnies
The St Vincent De Paul Society is also running an appeal to help rebuild the lives of those affected by fires through the provision of food, clothing, furniture and money to pay bills.

Donations can be made at any Vinnies retail outlet or through their website.

Givit
Givit is a service that lists the exact needs of individuals through charities so that the public can directly donate exactly what is needed. Givit is currently running two campaigns for NSW and Queensland bushfire victims.

Foodbank
Foodbank is delivering emergency food and water relief to bushfire affected communities in Victoria’s East Gippsland region.

Donations can be made via their website.

Volunteers sort donation boxes ready to be loaded onto a truck at Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club which has been inundated with donations after setting up as a bushfire relief centre. Picture: John Appleyard

Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund
The Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund is a local, volunteer run organisation that assists Gippsland communities impacted by natural disasters. Donations can be made by Paypal on their website, at any branch of the NAB across Australia or at Alan Wilson Insurance Brokers at 40 Argyle St, Traralgon.

Bendigo Bank Bushfire Disaster Appeal
Bendigo Bank have partnered with the Salvation Army to establish an appeal that will raise funds for communities impacted by fires.

Donations can be made here.

GoFundMe
GoFundMe pages have been established for the Victorian communities of Cudgewa and Mallacoota.

Airbnb
Airbnb is providing free housing for those who have had to evacuate until the 16th of January.

Emergency housing can be found on their NSW or Victoria pages, where you can also list your own property.

Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal
The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) have set up a Disaster Resilience and Recovery fund for medium-to-long term disaster recovery projects.

Donations can be made via their website.

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HELP LOCAL BUSINESS

Spend With Them
Athlete, motivational speaker and burns victim Turia Pitt has taken to social media to urge her followers about the importance of helping local businesses that may have been affected by the bushfire crisis.

“Once these fires are finally ‘over’, it won’t be over for many of the local businesses in fire-ravaged towns,” she wrote.

“So this is what I’m doing. I’ve created @spendwiththem, a place to feature businesses in fire-affected towns. So, if you want to buy something (now, or in the future), check out @spendwiththem and buy something from one of these places.”

The page has already garnered over 40,000 followers. You can find it here.

Turia Pitt was trapped in a grass fire while competing in a 100km ultramarathon. Picture: Rohan Kelly