The support for those affected by the catastrophic bushfires raging across Australia has been nothing short of inspiring. We’ve seen the world come together, from celebrities such as Chris Hemsworth donating $1 million and urging the world to get involved, as well as Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation committing $70 million to help bushfire fighting and relief efforts. Australian comedienne Celeste Barber’s Facebook fundraiser has rallied global support, contributing an incredible $50 million to the effort. Click here to contribute to Celeste Barber’s fundraiser.

It’s easy to understand why this has had such global appeal. Pictures of Koala’s hugging; children and adults rescuing kangaroos; blood red skies from leaping flames and charred black terrain as far as the eye can see. We see Firemen, with blackened faces dripping with sweat, fighting extreme heat from colossal blazes and the devastation of families who’ve lost everything. The world is united behind the shared goal of stopping this disaster and providing relief to the people and the animals affected.

Donations of food, clothing, shelter and money have come from across the globe and are greatly appreciated from the entirety of Australia. Even if you are strapped for cash, the Goat offers several ways that everyone can offer their support without money. Many sites have helpfully curated a list of verified charities to donate money to, including this comprehensive list by GiveNow. Whether you want to support animal rescue, relief funds and goods, or the firefighting services, there’s multiple options for all.

According the NSW Office of Emergency Management, cash through registered funds and official appeals is the preferred route for giving. This gives people the flexibility to choose exactly what they need as well as supporting local businesses and other efforts in building communities. Recently, different charities and clubs have been giving out prepaid credit cards as a form of support and relief, such as the Rotary Club of Taree and Manning.

Prepaid cards provide a unique solution to disaster relief with a great number of benefits;

• Expedience: with speed being key to providing relief, prepaid cards have the capability of being organized, transported and distributed rapidly. In 2016, with the fires that raged in Fort McMurray, Canada, 10,000 prepaid cards loaded with a total of $7 million CAD were distributed within 2 days, providing fast, much-needed relief.
• Flexibility: different people will have different needs. A single mother with adolescent children will different needs compared to a retired, empty-nest couple. Prepaid cards allow the flexibility to cater to the individual’s unique needs. On top of this, prepaid cards can be used online, in-store and anywhere that has an EFTPOS machine.
• Control: in times of need, there needs to be an element of fairness and control. Especially where resources are limited, prepaid cards allow organizations to give fair and equitable relief to those who need it to ensure that everyone gets as much help as is possible to give.

With the bushfire disaster that is roaring across Australia, everyone agrees that people affected need effective help and fast. Here at Corporate Prepaid Cards, we’re looking to partner with charities to provide an easy and efficient way to give support in the form of prepaid cards, available to use online and anywhere EFTPOS is accepted. If you work with a charity looking to aid those affected by the fires, please get in touch with Lawrence Montgomery via email at lawrence@zenithpayments.com.au or by phone at 1300 128 219 to discuss how we can help.