AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRES
FARMERS WHO NEED OUR HELP
We've been quiet on the WWFF front for a while, barely able to find the words to address what's going on in our beautiful country, and really just concentrating on surviving. Thank you to everyone who has messaged us, especially those of you checking up on Honey, who evacuated from her home near Bega on New Years Eve and has been through a hellish couple of weeks (they are frighteningly close to the fires). She's also getting ready to welcome her baby into a smoky new world any day now.
The anxiety and despair has threatened to overcome the both of us at different times over the past few weeks, but we're both aware that succumbing to that will not help us or most importantly, our children. As so many have already identified, collectively we need to pull ourselves together and FIGHT as if our lives depend on it - because this is quite literally a life and death situation and WE are the ones we've been waiting for.
There's lots that we want to talk about and we'll get to all of it soon. But the most important thing right now is what we can do to help. Because if you're anything like us you just want to do something, anything, to help those that are truly suffering. We're not talking about all of the places like the rural fire brigades and animal welfare groups - though they are incredibly important and worthy of donations (in fact I've made several to them over the last two weeks) - we want to encourage sending help directly to those that need help right not …not in a few weeks or months - now.
Given Honey's proximity to ground zero there are several farmers that we know of that are really in need of a helping hand - bushfires have destroyed much of their farmland and infrastructure and their farms will not survive this ordeal without help. So if you’re in a position to, let's do what we can to help them get back on their feet, even if it’s just sharing this with others who might themselves be able to help in some small way.
We've listed three farms below that we know of that need help. We want to keep adding to this as there are many more out there - so please, if you know of someone who should be on this list get in contact.
THEA & TIM - FISHBONE FARM - COBARGO
Whilst Thea & Tim were lucky not to lose their home in the horrific fires that hit the small township of Cobargo, their property has been badly burnt and damaged, and their beautiful garden and much of the infrastructure they had spent many years building from the ground up has been destroyed.
Thea and Tim are incredibly generous people within the Bega Valley community, always offering to help with their time or home grown food - this is a chance help them. Their fundraising page has been set up to help them renew some uninsured aspects of their life, in particular garden/food production and so they can contribute some funds amongst their friends and community who lost everything in the little township of Cobargo.
Images via Fishbone Farm
TOM & JOSCELIN MCMILLAN & FAMILY - BEGA VALLEY EGGS
Tom, Joscelin and their two young children purchased Bega Valley Eggs a mere four months ago (in Sept 2019) and had just started building the business up by investing in a new flock for the usually busy summer periods. In the past month they have had two separate bushfires sweep through the beautiful Bega Valley affecting both of their farms. Most of their hens were saved, and the grading room and equipment in Quaama miraculously spared, but without power and access to water they have been unable to continue to grade and process their eggs, which means they are without income.
Bega Valley Eggs stock 35 businesses on the South Coast, and EVERY business they supply will be affected by the fires this season in some way, and possibly for months and years to come as a result of these devastating bushfires. They have set up a fundraising page with 50% of donations going to repairing the farm's infrastructure and the other 50% to creating a Fire Fund, where they gift their stockists the eggs they would normally purchase from them for free to help these other small businesses and cafes get back on their feet as well.
Images via Bega Valley Eggs
GREG & KAY SAARINEN - SAARINEN ORGANICS
Kay and Gregg have been slowing building their business selling ethically made skincare products from ingredients grown on their family operated permaculture farm in NSW for over 12 years. Both Honey and I use these amazing skincare products and can't recommend them enough.
Saarinen need your help to keep operating - afters spending the past two weeks putting all their energy into just surviving and trying to save their farm from fire, their income from tourist trade and markets, which would normally be 80% of their income, has dropped to zero. Please help them get through this tough time by purchasing products for yourself, family or friends via their online store.
Consider getting together with friends and placing the one order to make it more environmentally friendly (and to save on shipping costs!). Or perhaps you know of a retailer in your area that may want to stock these wonderful products for their own customers? If so, please pass this information on to them!
You can read more from Kay Saarinen about their ordeal here.
Images via Saarinen Organics