At IGA we are passionate about supporting our local communities.
We are devastated by the current bushfire crisis and have activated an Emergency Response Plan that has already generated over $280,000 to support those Australians affected. This includes contributions from IGA retailers that has been matched by Metcash.
Prior to Christmas, IGA and Foodland donated $90,000 worth of Gift Cards to people who lost their homes in the fires in Adelaide and we have also donated $355,000 in the form of water, products and gift cards. The total amount raised to date including our Rapid Response fund is $600,000.
Our independent retailers however are the real heroes. They play an important role in their communities and this is never more evident than in times like now. Despite many of them being personally affected by the fires, they have put serving their community first.
Jim and Dave Scully, the owners of IGA Batehaven opened the store with a camp generator to ensure that the locals didn’t go without despite both losing their homes. The staff at Donges Supa IGA, along with the local community packed and sorted 10 pallets of groceries, toiletries and water along with $12,000 in gift vouchers which will be donated to people in need in the area. These are just a few of the examples of how independent business owners have supported and will continue to support their local communities.
Today, we’re announcing the launch of our in-store Bushfire Appeal. We urge our customers to purchase a $2 Bushfire Appeal Token at their local IGA, with 100 percent of funds raised going directly to support Australians impacted by bush fires. These tokens will be in-store from the 9th of January 2020 to 25/02/2020 and we hope to raise $1 million.
We know when our IGA stores and their local communities come together, we can achieve great things. Thanks to your generous support over Christmas, to date we have raised $836,000 for Australians impacted by the drought. Now we ask for your help again, in raising much-needed funds for those impacted by these terrible fires. We would like to reassure you that every dollar raised for the Vinnies Bushfire Appeal will be used to support people impacted by the fires. Vinnies will not spend any funds on administration or keep funds for any other work or cause.
Please continue to stand by all the communities who need our help to rebuild their lives.
CASE STUDIES
Ken and Lorraine
Ken and Lorraine Bone survived the bushfire that tore through their town by heading down to nearby Lake Conjola, spending the next three hours in a boat on the lake and fearing for their lives. “It was just like sitting in a 3D movie, it was just so thick with smoke and explosions,” Lorraine said. “You’re hearing explosion after explosion, and we knew we had gas bottles at our place, and just thought, is that our place going up, or is that our car? ‘Cause it just went on and on and on for so long.”
By the late afternoon, 89 homes in Ken and Lorraine’s small town of Conjola Park had been lost. When the couple could finally come home, they found an utterly different town to the one they’d left just a few hours before. Miraculously, the couple’s house was still standing – though too damaged to safely live in. For now, Lorraine and Ken are in temporary accommodation provided by their insurer.
Ken has spent the last three years volunteering as a local Vinnies member, spending his days since retirement looking after people in need. Now it’s his turn to receive some of that care and support, and Vinnies has given him and Lorraine $4,000 to help them back on their feet. “Vinnies as an organisation has really – I mean, they’re great. You can’t speak highly enough of them,” Lorraine said.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT ON THE DROUGHT APPEAL
To date we have raised
$836,000
To learn more, visit our Drought Appeal page below
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT ON THE DROUGHT APPEAL
To date we have raised
$836,000
To learn more, visit our Drought Appeal page below
