A group of women from the Australian Islamic Centre travelled 4 hours with 5 truckloads of supplies and a mobile kitchen to prepare meals for beleaguered firefighters amid the raging inferno.
Mercy mission brings supplies and relief to victims and firefighters
As bushfires raged around them, the women of the Australian Islamic Centre felt compelled to help out their community. The group from Newport, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, filled five trucks full of donated supplies and raised AUS$1,500 in only 48 hours. The group travelled, along with other volunteers, more than four hours to distribute the supplies to victims, Rashid Elhouli, who oversees online public relations for the Australian Islamic Centre, told CNN. They didn’t stop there. When they arrived to Johnsonville, the women cooked breakfast for 150 firefighters.
The women prepared a variety of meals, including kebabs, sausages and mince meat
Firefighters in Australia have been working tirelessly for the past several months to battle the unusually severe bushfires ravaging the country. More than 2,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged this fire season in New South Wales, according to the state’s Rural Fire Service, and the toll on Australia’s wildlife has been horrific.
The Australian Islamic Centre started making plans to help out on Thursday after speaking to the Melbourne Fire Brigade, Rashid Elhouli told CNN.
They used social media to get the word out that the center was collecting supplies such as female hygiene products, water bottles, milk, baby wipes, and fresh fruit. On Friday after prayer service, the center hosted a sausage sizzle, selling plates of food to raise money for the bushfire victims. The event was originally scheduled as a fundraiser for their youth program.
"The money was meant to go towards girls youth activities," said Elhouli. "But they decided to donate it all to the bushfire appeal."
Early Saturday morning, the caravan of five truck filled with donations embarked on its journey. After feeding the firefighters, the volunteers were escorted by the Melbourne Fire Brigade to different areas to offload the items.
"Our team set up another cookout and called all to eat," Elhouli said. "They had a variety of meals, including lamb kebab, chicken kebab, beef sausages and mince meat."
Source: CNN
HOW TO HELP WITH THE AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRES (FROM FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE WORLD)
HOW TO HELP WITH THE AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRES — FROM FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE WORLD
Many people from both inside and outside Australia have been asking what they can do to help, so we've compiled a list of resources, such as where to donate and what other actions you can take from wherever you are around the world.