Like so many of you, we are finding it hard to articulate how we feel at the moment. No words seem enough to convey our grief and deep sadness for what is happening to our country right now. But then we came across this beautiful illustration (above) and it totally captures how we are feeling - devastated - and just wanting to wrap our arms around everyone and everything affected by these catastrophic fires.

Whilst individually we’re all feeling very powerless, we’ve put our heads together as a team and discussed how we can play our part in these early days of this tragic disaster. One thing that we all agree on is that the amount of money required to provide relief in a situation like this feels totally overwhelming. But, we’ve done some sums and worked out that a little + a little + a little = A LOT!

We’ve contributed to the relief funds both individually and collectively, as Mr Pool Man, and we’d love for you to jump on our #bandwagon and add what you can too, no matter how small the contribution. It all adds up.

Heck, we’re no Celeste Barber #totalqueen #celesteforPM, but together we CAN help make a difference! Here are some ways in which we’re helping:

SAVE OUR WILDLIFE

Whilst we can’t hold a hose, we can literally help save the lives of the wildlife left behind. We are huge animal lovers and these poor, defenceless creatures have no voice… and half a billion of them have already been wiped out. Entire species, unique to Australia, are potentially gone forever #heartbreaking. It's just beyond belief, but we can do our little bit to help fund the rehabilitation of those that have survived.

Many animals need critical care and that takes time and money. Did you know it costs around $7000 to rehab and release just one koala? The costs add up due to the multiple x-rays, ultrasounds, medications to sedate them, medications to heal them, scopes to go down their throats, creams and bandages for their wounds. On top of this are the paid vets and nursing staff - it all adds up.

So every dollar we can give, counts!

We’ve started a Mr Pool Man GoFundMe page to help as much as we can #thankyou.

If you haven’t already donated and would like to join this cause, please do so by clicking the button below. You can also share the link to your friends and family #sharingiscaring

We can definitely make a difference, one animal at a time.

HERE ARE SOME OTHER CHARITIES YOU MIGHT WANT TO SUPPORT:

Australian Red Cross Disaster Recovery and Relief
The Red Cross supports a variety of efforts such as supporting people at evacuation centres and providing emergency assistance like cash grants to people who have lost their homes.

Salvation Army Disaster Appeal
The Salvos are providing meals to first-line responders and evacuees, as well as any other support needed.

St Vincent de Paul Society Bushfire Appeal (NSW)
Vinnies’ bushfire appeal helps provide food, clothing and money that bushfire victims may need to pay their bills.

The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital
The organisation has a GoFundMe page that seeks funding for Koalas affected by the bushfires.

Please be vigilant about who you donate to, many scam donation schemes are in operation.

AUSTRALIA NEEDS YOU! LET’S DO THIS!

Stay safe.
The Mr Pool Man team.