DEAR FRIENDS

As you know, I was the recipient of life-changing generosity from our community a few years ago. The kindness of stitchers (and non-stitchers, but somehow related to us) is amazing and constant, and a day does not go by without some form of love being shared.

Our stitchy family in Australia needs everything we can provide, and there are many ways to contribute. I've been watching Miss Caroline from Off The Grid Needlearts on the Flosstube, and she has kindly provided a link to an article about how with some excellent resources. I hereby pass it along to you:
c/net article on Australian fires and how to help: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/australia... - article by Jackson Ryan List from article on where you can best help: Direct to firefighting efforts The NSW Rural Fire Service has a donation page to support the firefighting efforts in New South Wales The Country Fire Authority is the state of Victoria's rural firefighting service and you can donate directly here. The Country Fire Service in South Australia also takes direct donations. To help support firefighters in the state of Queensland, you can donate to the Rural Fire Brigades Association via their webpage. Relief and support efforts Australia's Red Cross Disaster relief and recovery fund helps support evacuation centers and recovery programs for the affected communities. A GoFundMe page has been set up as a relief fund for First Nations communities to offer "culturally sensitive, specific direct support to some of those communities with critical costs to cover expenses." The Victorian Bushfire Appeal is where state premier Daniel Andrews is suggesting to donate. The appeal directs money to communities in need, giving directly to those affected by the fires. Foodbank is taking donations to help people in need during the crisis. You can donate at its website to the Victorian relief effort, which helps get relief for communities cut off from power and food. Givit is a not-for-profit organization that cares for those in need by letting you donate goods it then passes on. It accepts items or money at its donation page. The St Vincent de Paul society is helping people on the ground in rebuilding, providing food and clothing and emotional support. It has a donation page here. Longer term support for communities affected by the fires will be necessary once the fires settle and that's where the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal comes in. You can donate to the FRRR here. The Salvation Army has a disaster appeal donations page set up to deliver support to local communities affected by the blazes. US-based charities GlobalGiving has opened an Australian Wildfire Relief fund that will provide relief and support for those affected by the fires. You can donate at their website. Direct Relief has been helping with the effort to get particulate-filtering masks across to Australia. You can donate to their efforts, which support disaster relief across the world, here. Wildlife The RSPCA bushfire appeal is used to protect the pets, livestock and wildlife affected by bushfires, helping evacuate animals from disaster zones. Items like livestock pellets and possum boxes are also incredibly handy. The World Wildlife Fund accepts donations to help support conservation activities, particularly related to koalas. Money can help provide emergency care during bushfires. Zoos Victoria have established a Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund which funds emergency vet assistance and "scientific intervention." You can donate to the fund here and it seems to accept PayPal and credit cards. The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital has already raised in excess of $2 million to help search for and protect the koalas in the region. You can donate at its GoFundMe page. The Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park was hit hard by the fires in South Australia. It's asking for donations to help with vet costs, koala milk and extra enclosures on its GoFundMe page. Wires is an Australia wildlife rescue organization with a myriad ways to help Australia's native fauna. Donations can be made through its website. The Animal Rescue Collective is another organization providing support for wildlife. Lots of information and how to donate on their Facebook page