As ferocious fires continue to burn across much of Australia, the resources of volunteer firefighting services are stretched to the max. Thousands of Australians have also lost their homes and incomes, with many left living in temporary accommodation.
To help those on the frontline of the recovery effort, a donation can be made to the following organisations and charities.
Items
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has - not clothes or food - to his state's communities, saying they don't have the time, space or people to sort through items.
"I don't want to appear harsh in any way, but we don't need any more clothes, food, trucks on our roads," he said on Sunday.
"I know it all comes from a place of kindness and I thank everybody who's made those donations."
The CFA, Victoria's rural fire service, echoed that call: "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."
Accommodation
Offers of emergency accommodation for people displaced by the East Gippsland bushfires are being managed by the local council. Those able to help should email feedback@egipps.vic.gov.au, with details of location, bedrooms available, facilities and return contact details.
Elsewhere, writer and sports commentator Erin Riley says more than 5500 people have used to offer beds or homes to evacuees.
Money
Victorian Bushfire Appeal
The Victorian government has to help Victorians affected by the devastating bushfires, contributing an initial $2 million.
Victoria’s recent fires have already destroyed more than a million hectares and hundreds of buildings, displacing thousands of people.
Bendigo Bank Community Enterprise Foundation and the Salvation Army are partners of the fund, which will help people rebuild their lives.
Smoke billows from a fire burning at East Gippsland, Victoria. Source: AAP
The funds will meet the most the "urgent needs of local families – covering the cost of everything from a grocery shop to replacing school uniforms".
Funds will also be used for "the rescue and rehabilitation of local wildlife".
State Fire Services
Donations can be made to the state-funded rural fire services. Some states allow pledges to individual brigades.
NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers Bob (left) and Greg Kneipp, a father and son, embrace after successfully defending a property in Torrington, near Glen Innes. Source: AAP
- Victoria:
- NSW:
- South Australia:
- Queensland:
Fallen firefighters' families
The NSW RFS has for the young families of Samuel McPaul, Geoffrey Keaton and Andrew O'Dwyer, who lost their lives battling fires this season.
Celeste Barber's donation page
More than half a million people from across the globe have pledged more than $30 million to the NSW RFS through the .
That amount is equivalent to two weeks of funding for what is the world's largest fire service.
Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund
Donations are being accepted through the general , which goes to helping those affected by bushfires, heat, floods, cyclones and other emergencies.
More than $8 million has been raised since New Year's Eve.
Salvation Army
More than 60 Red Cross volunteers including Margaret Kiehne and Jenny Sloman are offering assistance at 16 evacuation centres across New South Wales. Source: Australian Red Cross
The Salvos are providing meals to evacuees and first-responders. Donate .
St Vincent de Paul
Salvation Army teams are providing meals to evacuees and frontline responders. Source: The Salvation Army
Vinnies is helping with bills, clothing, bedding and food. The Queensland government chipped in $25,000 in September as part of a wider $100,000 donation. Donate .
Wildlife
NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) say they received more than 20,000 calls in December alone, up 14 per cent. Donate .
Mogo Zoo and the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital have both set up GoFundMe pages, raising $50,000 and $3.1 million respectively. Donate to or on GoFundMe.com.
Food Bank Bushfire Appeal
Food Bank is the only Australian organisation to provide food relief in the wake of natural disasters. Donations will go towards providing essential supplies to support emergency workers and affected communities as they recover.
Financial donations can be made online . To donate food or supplies contact .
GoFundMe
Millions have been raised on the , including the wildlife funds above, $138,000 for the and $110,000 in one fund for .
But, given anyone can set up a page, fraud is a possibility - such as a funeral fund for young Cobargo father Patrick Salway.
That page was falsely established in his niece's name, raising $4000.
"She has not opened this page and is absolutely gutted ... that someone would be so f***ing low to do this to her and our family," Mr Salway's brother-in-law, Dean Hancock, said.
Additional reporting: AAP
