Australian bushfires: Ten ways Kiwis can help

Port Macquarie Koala Hospital is helping koalas affected by the bushfires. Photo / GoFundMe

If you're feeling helpless as you read the news about the devastating bushfires across the Tasman, you are not alone.

Our neighbour continues to burn - and the fires are expected to get worse. People have died, many remain missing, homes and businesses have been lost, and an estimated half a billion animals have also perished in the fires.

Entire streets have been wiped out, whole communities threatening to disappear forever. One particular family has lost three members.

New Zealand is sending firefighters to help Australian counterparts combat the blazes.

If the headlines are making you feel helpless, here are some of the ways you can help, from New Zealand or, in fact, anywhere you might be reading this from:

1. Make a donation to the Rural Fire Service in NSW

You can make a credit card

donation

to the RFS in NSW. RFS volunteers and NSW Fire and Rescue officers have been battling the fires and saving lives day and night and they need your help.

2. Donate to the Salvation Army Disaster Appeal

The Salvation Army needs you to dig deep in support of those affected by devastating bushfires around Australia. Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) teams are responding to devastating bushfires around Australia as an unprecedented number of emergency-level fires cause tragic loss of life and property. Click

here

to make a donation.

As devastating #bushfires continue to burn, our Salvation Army Emergency Services teams remain active across the country. To donate to our Disaster Appeal visit https://t.co/8XXYXLnGry, or call 13 SALVOS (13 72 58). #ausfires pic.twitter.com/8bfgI5v028

— Salvos Australia (@salvos) January 3, 2020

3. Donate to the Australian Red Cross

The Australian Red Cross does invaluable work supporting communities affected by the bushfires. Thanks to donations made so far, the charity has been able to deploy 1,285 trained staff and volunteers to disaster-affected communities.

Click here to donate.

4.Donate to FoodBank Victoria

FoodBank Victoria is providing food and water to both firefighters and those who have been left stranded by the fires. Click

here

to donate.

5. Donate to the Rural Fire Brigades Association in Queensland

Firefighters in Queensland have been working around the clock to try to stop the spread of the devastating bushfires in the state. You can help them by making a donation to the RFBA in Queensland by clicking

here

.

6. Tell your friends in Australia to register on findabed.info

This website is connecting people in Australia who need a place to stay during the bushfires to those who can offer a bed and a safe space.

7. Donate to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital

You can help koalas affected by the bushfires by making a donation to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital via their

GoFundMe page

.

Port Macquarie Koala Hospital is helping koalas affected by the bushfires. Photo / GoFundMe

8. Donate to the Country Fire Authority in Victoria

The CFA in Victoria has set up a Bushfire Disaster Appeal. You can find out about how to donate

here

.

9. Donate to WIRES

To help the NSW wildlife victims, you can donate to the NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES)

here

.

10. Donate to St Vincent De Paul Society

The St Vincent De Paul Society is also running a bushfire appeal, to help those affected rebuild their lives with food, clothing, furniture, other essentials, and funds to pay bills. Click

here

to make a donation to the Vinnies Bushfire Appeal.

There are several other ways you can help with multiple pages having been set up online with fundraisers for victims of the bushfires. On GoFundMe, for example, there are pages for the victims in both Cudgewa and Mallacoota.