Samaritan's Purse sending Canadian team to help Australian wildfire victims
Christian relief agency will provide physical, spiritual aid to people who've lost everything
CALGARY, Jan. 8, 2020 /CNW/ - Samaritan's Purse Canada is sending eight personnel to Australia to help people whose homes and other property have been destroyed by unprecedented wildfires that are devastating the southeast part of the country.
The team members?most of whom depart on Jan. 11?will be helping in three regions?New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia?that have been burning for months. Fires have already destroyed thousands of homes and scorched more than 15 million acres of land.
"We know the level of devastation wildfires bring to communities here in Canada. Our hearts break as we see their impact across Australia," said Brent Davis, Samaritan's Purse's director of Canadian ministry projects.
"As we pray for rain, we are equipped and eager to send Canadian resources and experience to help families recover from these fires."
The Australian office of Samaritan's Purse has been responding, but the continuing crisis means more help is needed. Samaritan's Purse Canada has considerable experience in wildfire recovery, including helping almost 500 families in Fort McMurray, Alberta in 2016.
That help included clearing debris from damaged properties, removing fridges and freezers full of rotting food from undamaged homes left without power for extended periods, and sifting through ash and rubble to find any items that might have survived the flames.
Since 2016, the organization has also helped wildfire victims in the B.C. communities of Williams Lake (2017) and Telegraph Creek (2018), and the Alberta hamlet of Paddle Prairie (2019).
Donations Needed
To support Samaritan's Purse's disaster relief efforts, please visit SamaritansPurse.ca (click on "Donate") or call 1-800-663-6500.
About Samaritan's Purse Canada
Samaritan's Purse is a Christian relief and development organization that takes its name from Jesus Christ's biblical story of the Good Samaritan. Like that Good Samaritan, who found a beaten man and helped restore him, we aid victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine, and persecution. Besides disaster relief, our work includes collecting and distributing gift-filled Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, providing safe water, teaching vocational skills, and providing agricultural supplies and training to families in the developing world. Learn more at SamaritansPurse.ca.
SOURCE Samaritan's Purse Canada
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