Victorian Bushfires - Please Help!

Victoria, Australia is currently in the midst of its worst bushfires in history. Fire tore through towns on the weekend and is still out of control, killing over 170 people and destroying thousands of homes. Many more people are missing.

While this blog is called The Material Girl, in a crisis like this, choosing between buying a handbag and helping out someone in need is easy. It would be greatly appreciated if you could support the relief effort, perhaps by cutting out a purchase this week and donating the money to one of the many charities collecting. Every little bit helps. The Red Cross is the main collector, using the money to help people with urgent accomodation and personal items - most people escaped with only the clothes on their backs - as well as longer term assistance.

Personally, I have just donated $25 each to the RSPCA and Wildlife Victoria. Over 10,000 animals were killed in the blazes - livestock as well as kangaroos and koalas - and many more were injured or abandoned as their owners tried to escape. Over the coming weeks, those that survived will face the threat of starvation.

This beautiful piece of photography below (courtesy of the Herald Sun) says more about the plight of these animals than anything I can write here.

International donations are accepted, and all are greatly appreciated. No matter what the size, it all helps.

Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org.au/
RSPCA - http://www.rspcavic.org/
Wildlife Victoria - http://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/

For further information on the fires, visit http://www.heraldsun.com.au/

Love and thanks, Melissa.