Helping bushfire affected locals in Stanthorpe
We headed to the drought and bushfire affected Stanthorpe region to show some much needed support
We recently headed to the Southern Darling Downs region to lend a hand and show some support to bushfire affected residents in Stanthorpe and its surrounds.
A local food program was in desperate need of a chest freezer. With the overwhelming demand of community members following the region's bushfires they simply didn’t have the freezer capacity to keep up with demand. GIVIT's Queensland Manager, Jo Beadle, was able to provide the organisation with a chest freezer as well as a stack of other items. Jo was extremely pleased to see first-hand that women's and children's items in particular were meeting a real need for impacted locals
While in town, we also dropped in to the Granite Belt Neighbourhood Centre, Stanthorpe Hospital and St Vincent de Paul, each of whom has been helping residents in the aftermath of the fires through fulfilled requests on GIVIT.
Rugby superstars join us to lift spirits
We were joined on our trip by Matt Lodge, Matt Gillett, Tevita Pangai Junior, Joe Ofahengaue and Tom Dearden from the always generous Brisbane Broncos, who gave a much-needed lift to the Southern Darling Downs Community. The team gifted merchandise, signed autographs and had a game of touch football with local kids, helping to raise spirits and hundreds of dollars. Funds raised went directly to purchasing essential items needed by the community from local stores - helping the region and its resilient community move forward again.
"After a disaster event like this, corporate donations of new goods are vital to meeting needs. But financial donations are highly valuable as well.
Not only do they help those people identified, but they help local businesses too. In this instance, cash donations have allowed us to buy appliances from the local Bi-Rite for people whose homes have burnt down."
Recovery only just beginning
To date, GIVIT has coordinated well over 20,000 items for the Queensland bushfire recovery. To help Queenslanders doing it tough, click here.
People across New South Wales and Victoria are still battling to recover from the devastating Black Summer Bushfires. You can help by donating money or items to the NSW Bushfire Appeal or the Victorian Bushfire Appeal.