19 Jan 2020

To say Australia’s had a rough summer is an understatement.

The fires have taken lives and destroyed the homes of both people and animals alike. The devastation has been broadcast worldwide, and it feels like everyone in the country has either been affected or knows somebody who has.

The relief effort has been amazing. The country has united as people help out one another, thousands have signed up to be volunteer firefighters, and donations have flooded in from around the world.

Celeste Barber has raised over $50 million, your mate’s parents donated $5k last week, and your local running club even scrounged together $500 in a last-minute fun run.

And then there’s you.

Studying. Working a crappy job. Under the pump with assessments. Barely able to afford the rice and tuna you were planning for dinner tonight. Sure, maybe you could skip the tuna tonight and just eat plain rice, but is that $5 really gonna make much of a difference?

It’s easy to feel helpless when so many people are doing such amazing things. It’s easy to feel useless when so many have lost their homes, but you’re miles away in an unaffected town and your biggest worries involve passing your exams and paying the rent.

But whoever said that the only way to help was by donating your money?

Donate your clothes/possessions

If you don’t have the money to give away right now, there might be other ways you can help. If you’ve got stuff lying around, or you received some Christmas presents you know you’ll never use, they could potentially be put to better use by someone who’s lost everything in the fires.

GIVIT is a platform that helps those in need connect with people who have items to spare. Whether it’s a pair of shoes, a lawnmower, or some colouring pencils for school students, there’s probably something that you own that you could do without. You can check out the full list of items people are after here.

Host your own fundraiser

Not having much money to spare doesn’t mean you can’t encourage others to donate. There are plenty of well-off adults out there who can fork out another $20 if they’re inspired in just the right way.

Get creative.

Sell lemonade, climb a mountain wearing rollerblades, break a world record. Host a rock paper scissors tournament and charge $10 entry. Winner takes half, and half gets donated. Whatever gets the people to donate.

Offer emotional support

If you know someone who has lost their home, or someone who comes from a town that has been devastated, or even someone who knows someone who’s lost it all, be there for them.

If you know a firefighter who’s had a hectic summer, someone who’s business has suffered due to a lack of tourism, or someone who has lost their farm, be there for them.

Some people haven’t been directly affected by the fires at all, yet some emotional support will still do them wonders. These fires have been a tragedy, and some people will cope better than others. Be there for anyone and everyone. If you can’t see your friends in person, give them a call. A small catch up could mean the world to them.

Support local businesses

Once these fires are over, the affected towns will have to rebuild. Some will be virtually starting again from scratch. For your next road trip, do these towns a favour and stop in. Skip the Maccas drive through and visit the local bakery instead. Give Woolies a miss and hit up the little corner store in town.

Even if you’re not heading away, there are ways you can help support local businesses in regional towns. The Instagram page @spendwiththem shares the pages of businesses that have been affected by the fires and lets you do your online shopping with the knowledge that your money’s going towards a good cause.

Stop it from happening again

Now, I don’t wanna spark no debates or nothin’, but has anyone else noticed that the ‘climate’, seems to be, maybe, ‘changing’ a little bit of late? Has anyone else noticed those reliable, scientifically-backed sources which keep suggesting that these ‘changes’ have only relatively recently started occurring?

 

Like I said, I don’t wanna start no controversy, but I feel like there could be some sort of positive effect that could come out of everyone taking a more sustainable approach to the way they live their lives. You know, small sacrifices for the greater good and all that.

Shorter showers, recycling, using less electricity, using keep cups, burning fewer fossil fuels. Reducing our impact on the rising global temperatures by reducing our air pollution levels. And all other pollution while we’re at it, too.

There’s plenty of ways you can help.