Bush fire charities

[springyzone]

I have a friend in US who would like to donate towards the bushfire relief.

She asked me for the name of a good, reliable charity where most of the donation will go towards where it is needed, not skimmed off in expenses etc

She particularly mentioned maybe an animal charity as she realsied a lot of animals have been injured and lost.

Apart from the obvious ones (Red Cross, Vinnies, Salvos), does anyone here have any suggestions?

I am on facebook and have seen lots of people asking for items/donations but I am just not sure how many are legit or not. Maybe all of them are, but i am a bit lost as to what to suggest to her.

[serendipityricho]

Check out ..Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund.

Appear to do the right thing.

[lyhargr_0]

secure.animalsaustralia.org/donate/bushfire.php?ua_s=HP&fbclid=IwAR1LpeIiYinNmdLY0tog1Unup43DRdigCNx...

If she want to help injured animals,   this one seems pretty legit 

[icyfroth]

Red Cross is always a trusted organisation.

[lyndal1838]

For animals I would recommend WIRES or the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.

For people the Red Cross has proved themselve time and time again.

[kopenhagen5]

I just donated to Red Cross and am confident it's used well.

Priceline are on board asking all their shoppers if they want to round up or make a donation. 

I also heard one of the NSW animal shelters was overwhelmed with donations, to the tune of 14 million.

They usually only assist within NSW but have decided that these funds will be used for animal aid groups all around Australia.

[chameleon54]

Blaze aid,  This organisation has trailers filled with fencing equipment and they run camps, fully staffed by volunteers and major service clubs to go out a rebuild fences on burnt out properties. They currently have camps going in all of the fire affected areas and literally run on the smell of an oily rag with virtually all of the organisation run by volunteers and all of the money going back into fencing communities.

I have volunteered a day with the skid steer loader to dig fence post holes at the Cudlee Creek / Lobathel fire ground. A highly respected, long running and professional rural based charity with excellent return on donated funds.

https://blazeaid.com.au/

[lyndal1838]

Yes, it is WIRES that has raised the $14 million and is now contacting interstate charities to ask how they can help.  Much the same with the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.

I have relatives in Port Macquarie who have volunteered with the Hospital for years so that was my first thought when I donated initially.  Within days they had so much money they were already offering help to other Koala Rescue organisations.

The Red Cross was the first of the charities to step up and they have a great track record so thy were my first choice.....seconf would be the Salvation Army.

[springyzone]

Thank you to everyone who gave some suggestions. I have passed on a list to my friend. I am sensing she also likes Red Cross as they of course have that in US too so it is a trusted name to her. She said she will probably pick a couple of different charities. It's very kind that people overseas would donate, isn't it.

[the_great_she_elephant]

I read on Facebook - but have no idea whether it's true - that WIRES is only assisting wildlife in NSW. If this is true then poeple  wishing to donate to other States might need to find another charity..