Skip to content
HelpBLESS
Join free
Browse needsPeopleFeedDonationsHow it worksPost a needSign in
MoneyDisaster reliefUrgent

We lost everything in the bushfire: help the Orchard district start over

The bushfire damaged 55 homes in the Orchard district. We're raising funds for repairs, supplies and temporary shelter.

🇦🇺 New South Wales, Australia6,742 views
Elena Gomez
Email verified
Newcastle
The bushfire hit the Orchard district on 3 July. My home was one of 55 damaged, and 3 families are still in temporary shelter at a borrowed warehouse. The first few days we shared what little we had. Now the cleanup has started, but we've no money for materials and winter or the rainy season is coming. Schools in the area have been closed, and the clinic lost its cold storage for vaccines. We're a small community of working families who have never asked for help before. We have formed a volunteer committee, and I'm the treasurer, so I'll post receipts for everything we buy. Funds go to building materials, water purification supplies, bedding, and food for families still in shelters. Where the $4,650 goes: • Roofing sheets and timber: $1,600 • Clean water and purification supplies: $780 • Bedding, blankets and mattresses: $650 • Food parcels for displaced families: $730 • Tools and labor for repairs: $890 Even a small gift gets used right away and I'll thank you myself. - Elena
#disaster-relief#rebuild#community#disaster

Updates from Elena

  1. Update from Newcastle: the first invoice got paid this week. We're at 78% of the goal. Thank you for believing in us. - Elena

  2. Good news. Because of your gifts ($1,855 in total) I made the first payment toward clean water and purification supplies. Still a way to go but it feels less lonely.

Donations

RecentTop gifts
  • Layla Amira Khalil 🇲🇦 · $20

    “Best of luck. Small amount but sent with love. - Rabat”

  • Hesti Jihan Lestari 🇮🇩 · $50
  • Julia Emma Kuhn 🇩🇪 · $13
  • Wirat Weerasak Ngamsuk 🇹🇭 · $75
  • Anonymous 🇩🇪 · $22.50

    “Take care of yourselves. Thought of Elena all day after reading this. - Essen”

  • Håkan Jonsson 🇸🇪 · $10
  • Kavita W. Goyal 🇮🇳 · $10
  • Dariusz Kacper Jankowski 🇵🇱 · $20

    “You got this. Only $20 but hope it helps. - Poznań”

  • Anonymous 🇺🇸 · $100
  • Anonymous 🇳🇬 · $100

    “Best of luck. Hope the August deadline works out. - Epe”

  • Onur İbrahim Şimşek 🇳🇱 · $20
  • Usha A. Kashyap 🇮🇳 · $5
  • Anonymous 🇻🇳 · $25
  • Hassan Talha Ismail 🇵🇰 · $50
  • Athumani Mutebi 🇰🇪 · $25
  • Chihiro Hina Yamaguchi 🇯🇵 · $10

    “Rooting for you. From Nagoya with love.”

  • Frida Greta Blomqvist 🇸🇪 · $25
  • Gabriele Clara Stein 🇩🇪 · $10

    “Wishing you the best. Hope the August deadline works out. - Hamburg”

  • Axel Sjöberg 🇸🇪 · $100
  • Vinícius Tiago Figueiredo 🇧🇷 · $10

Reviews

Only people who gave to this need, or whose offer to help was accepted, can review it.

No reviews yet.

Questions & comments

Ask before you give. Email-verified members can comment and ask questions - no donation needed.

Sign in or create a free account to join the conversation.

  • Cristian K. Lozano

    Wishing you peace, Elena. Hope the build day goes well, wish I lived closer. God bless.

    • Wayne P. Ortiz

      thinking of you and your family. Projects like this are what make a place worth living in. God bless

      • Sanjay E. Verma

        Wishing you peace. It takes guts to ask. Well done. Wish I lived closer to Sukkur so I could bring a meal. Greetings from Rawalpindi.

        • Tejas S. Rathod

          Wishing you the best, Elena. Everyone deserves a bit of help sometimes. This is the second need I've supported on here and the first that made me cry. Love from Dar es Salaam.

          • Kelly Patrícia Carvalho

            Thinking of you and your family. Hope this works out for you. Love from Ikeja.

            • Nathalie Dupuy

              Stay strong. Hope the build day goes well, wish I lived closer. After 28 years in hospitality I know how hard it's to ask for anything. Blessings.

              • Ricardo A. ReyesID verified

                Hang in there. I've been in a tough spot myself and it does get easier. Thinking of Newcastle.

                • Elena T. Estrada

                  Hang in there, Elena. Projects like this are what make a place worth living in. I'm in retail myself and wanted you to know we're cheering for you.

                  $5,808 raised of $4,650

                  Give

                  More people who need help