For the past several months, firefighters in Australia have battled the destructive bushfires that are destroying the country. This fire season in New South Wales alone, over 2,000 homes were damaged from the fires. A kind group of ladies from the Australian Islamic Centre decided to help their community. They gave out supplies to victims and fed over 100 hard-working firefighters.
The group raised $1,500 within 48 hours. They filled five trucks full of donated supplies and traveled along with other volunteers for over four hours to give out the supplies to victims. After four hours of the journey, they arrived in Johnsonville. Then, the ladies cooked breakfast for 150 firefighters.
A Johnsonville firefighter, Rodney Baylis, said:
I extend the thanks from the fire-affected areas. I just been on the phone to the captain down there, and he nearly broke into tears when I told him what we are bringing in for them today.
According to Rashid Elhouli, who manages online public relations for the Australian Islamic Centre, they started making plans to help out after they spoke with the Melbourne Fire Brigade. Through social media, they announced that the center was collecting supplies for the victims, such as baby wipes, hygiene products, water bottles, milk, and fresh fruit. The facility hosted a sausage sizzle, selling food to raise money for the wildfire victims.
After the ladies fed the firefighters in Johnsonville, the volunteers were escorted by the Melbourne Fire Brigade to different areas to give out the donated supplies. “Our team set up another cookout and called all to eat. They had a variety of meals, including lamb kebab, chicken kebab, beef sausages, and mincemeat,” said Elhouli.
Many people have shown acts of kindness by waiting in lines for hours to donate to the food bank, giving water to koalas, and teenagers filling up their car with koalas they saved from the fires. Some celebrities such as Pink, Celeste Barber, and Nicole Kidman have also donated to help the cause.
