[Bushfires help] How to do more than donate money?

Helping those affected by the devastating effects of the bushfires isn’t just about making donations. You can also give your time. If you’re asking yourself how else you can help, and you’re not afraid of some dirt and sweat, try giving your time at one of the BlazeAid camps. You’ll bring hope, lift spirits and change people's lives.

The local farmers we met really appreciated knowing people were there for them – and you’ll get a big smile and heartwarming gratitude in return!

I'm very lucky to be surrounded by fantastic, hardworking friends with big hearts. IN just a few days, we recently changed our awareness about bushfires forever. We went from having the idea of wanting helping help out, to driving four hours north of Sydney to join the BlazeAid camp in Wingham. We didn't have any particular skills, but we really wanted to give our time. It was more than enough.

We helped rebuild fences on the properties affected by fires. We weren't exactly aware what it would mean to the local community until we got there and started having some conversations with local farmers. We soon realised that our work was not only about rebuilding fences, it was more about rebuilding hope and showing people they weren’t alone.

"Everything what you guys doing, give us a little bit of hope. That's the most important thing. You lift our spirits and give us a reason to keep going. What Blazeaid volunteers did in 3 days, I would be doing for 6 months" - Rick

Rick, one of the farmers near Wingham who was affected by fires eight weeks ago, shared this powerful message with us. Rick is a 70-year old Australian saddle maker who moved from Sydney 12 months ago to fulfil his retirement dream: investing his life savings in a cattle farm. He didn't expect that his life could change so much in just 24 hours. Bushfires destroyed a huge part of his property, killed some of his cows and left him with broken fences and no grass to feed his cattle. Soon after he was forced to sell the rest of his cattle. He lost five years’ income and still doesn't know when, and if, he will receive any money back.

This is just one of the stories we heard. It also brought another thought into our minds. So many people donate money with great intentions to help out, but nobody knows exactly know how long it will take for the bushfire victims to receive the money. Let’s hope donations flow through sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, if you’re like me and my friends and you really want to help out, I encourage you to visit BlazeAid and find a camp for you.

You can give a gift that is much more precious than money - your time. You can bring some hope, lift spirits and make an impact on people's life. 

Blazeaid- a volunteer-based organisation that works with families and individuals in rural Australia after natural disasters such as fires and floods. Working alongside the rural families, our volunteers help to rebuild fences and other structures that have been damaged or destroyed.