How to Donate to the Australia Wildfires

Australia holds such a huge part of my heart, and to see what’s happening there is absolutely devastating. I’m heartbroken with the state of our beautiful planet, and know like many of you I’m trying to find ways to help.

AUS is really my home away from home. After college I headed Down Under for what was supposed to be a month of volunteering on vineyards to learn more about the wine industry in SA, but fell so deeply in love with the land, the people, the wildlife, the food, and the culture, that I stayed for over a year. I worked on an apiary on Kangaroo Island, currently suffering greatly from the fires, and wineries in Adelaide Hills, also aflame. It’s where I explored my love for photography and writing and storytelling and travel. I experienced such incredible generosity from Aussies who took me in, and eventually wrote about my time WWOOFing around the country for the LA Times.

My first ever LA Times travel section cover story was also written in Australia, and I’ve been back countless times for Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Tastemade, Ker and Downey, and more. I shot video for passionate folks like Great Private Tours, where I got to watch this marvelous little koala in its natural habitat. These little critters are real life baby Yodas (look at those ears and the claws!) and they’re being burned out of their homes. It’s just so sad.

So, if you’d like to donate, here are some vetted ways sent via the NSW Tourism Board. I’ll do my best to continue to update this for those wanting to contribute to bushfire recovery as the situation develops.

Australian Red Cross Disaster Recovery and Relief – supporting people at evacuation centres and providing emergency assistance ie. cash grants to bushfire victims

  NSW Rural Fire Service – donate straight to the NSW RFS or to a local Rural Fire Brigade to support volunteer firefighters

  NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) – rescues and cares for animals and is seeking donations for volunteer carers and rescuers

  Port Macquarie Koala Hospital – providing care to koalas affected by the bushfires

 Support the families of NSW firefighters Geoffrey Keaton and Andrew O’Dwyer who were killed in the Green Wattle Creek fire, and Samual McPaul who was killed at the Green Valley fireground. Donate here.

 Comedian Celeste Barber has opened a Facebook fundraiser – money raised will be distributed to various charities and firefighting brigades. 

 Givit specialises in goods collection, listing items that the bushfire victims require.