Baked Relief

So today on ABC 612 Brisbane I was able to ask my Q and A question which was prepared for Monday night’s show.

I have been so very proud of our Premier and I believe we have the best one in Australia. But she needed to know what has been going on. These farmers just need what has been promised and they need it as soon as possible. I know she cares and I know she would listen, as long as we shared a voice.

With the support and a simple email, Victoria (a baked relief angel) started a chain of events which will now be known as ‘The Day the Media Listened’

Many many thanks to Madonna King from ABC for listening and understanding my cause to fight for Lockyer.

So what was the question?

Question for Premier Anna Bligh

Funds from the Premiers Relief Fund are being means tested. It is unfair that a hard working farmer turning over $500,000 / year in stock yet only taking home $20,000 / year who has lost everything and only being paid 20% from the insurance companies has to rebuild his life unsupported.

My question to you is how do you explain to Australians who have generously donated to the relief fund why the funds are being means tested and not going to the people who need this help to survive and why has no one in the Lockyer Valley received any payments from this fund to date?

The residents of Lockyer Valley asked me to do what I could to have their voices heard.

So this morning with me, residents from Lockyer and another organisation ‘Brisbane Adopt a Child or Family’ we made noise. 30 minutes of prime air time.

Here is my radio interview (I cant listen because I get too upset): http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2011/02/grantham-residents-ask-have-we-been-forgotten-.html?site=brisbane&program=612_morning 

Then Madonna King got David Hamill (custodian of the Premiers Relief Fund) on the radio and GRILLED him big time about why the money hasn’t been distributed, how many claims have been made to date, why is there means tested, etc etc.

It was great to get some answers. I understand that there are claims from those not worthy, but lets get those claims paid for those who need it and are worthy!

Tonight ABC news aired a story as well.

This afternoon I was back out in Lockyer delivering a car load FULL of brand new linen all supplied by donations for Parkview Aged Care in Chermside, Brisbane.

Amazing support. Every single day I see hope, love and compassion from people to help those affected. Six weeks on, it is still there. Beautiful new linen, towels, kitchen goods. HOW GREAT IS THAT.

Talking to the people I know who have been affected in the Lockyer Valley is inspirational. They were so pleased and touched when Premier Bligh came to visit and they just want that support and care to continue. “This is not a sprint it is a marathon” This support and care needs to continue!

Please support their cause, do what you can. Pray, donate, bake, drive out there and help them rebuild. There is so much we can all do.

The residents of Lockyer Valley THANK YOU!

First Crop in Grantham Since the Flood

POST SCRIPT: @antdharris (twitter) asked a few questions of @theqldpremier tonight on twitter.

His question:

@theqldpremier can you explain why no money has reached the needy in the Lockyer Valley…these are our own, donations have been paid 4 them

Her answer was

@antdharris Ant almost 200 people in Lockyer have received payments & more to come – these r tough times that need patience, care & goodwill

Then:

@TheQldPremier well Premier, I’m certain then that next round of stories out of the Lockyer Valley will b comfort from the flow of funds

Then from the Premier:

@antdharris I hope so 2, I understand anger & impatience of people in heartbreaking situation – everyone, inc fund wkrs doing their best

Well, we have got to be happy with that! Thank you for listening Premier Bligh.

UPDATE THURSDAY 24 FEB: Danielle Crismani has a meeting in Premier’s Office Monday to discuss ongoing needs and support for Lockyer Valley. WIN!

I have so much to write about the Lockyer Valley and that will come in a later post. I am stressed about it. I will give you in dot form and fill in the full details later.

• The insurance companies are only paying 15-25% due to clauses in the insurance stating what sort of ‘water damage’ it was.
• As the Premiers Disaster Relief Fund is means tested, many of these farmers have high turnover (produce, cattle etc) but very low incomes. That doesn’t matter, they miss out. These farmers have lost hope, some have lost ALL hope. Read between the lines. It is VERY sad.
• Families outside the Grantham area do not gain any assistance from the Grantham Flood Relief funds. So families in Helidon, Murhpy’s Creek and Withcott are relying on donations of money and furniture which (mostly) is managed out of the Helidon Community Center.
• There is a family in Grantham which were building a house, it was almost finished but because they don’t have the keys they are not classed as residents and as such, recieved no relief even though they have lost their home.

Good news

Baked Relief continues in the Lockyer Valley and I have committed to ongoing support. I have a project coming up with a large Brisbane shopping center which will be launched in April (Easter month) I am very excited about this and will revieal more details later.

Through Sonia Cuff, the wonderful mum and SES worker who developed the idea for the Mud Army Tshirts I was put in contact with C3 Church at Bridgeman Downs. They are looking for six families to support with white goods donated by the Good Guys. They were having trouble finding families on the ground where they could really make a difference.

Through Baked Relief I was able to put them in direct contact with families. So new washing machine and fridges chosen by each family will be ready for them when they rebuild and / or move back into their homes.

We need heaps more support like this, now knowing that the insurance companies are not paying up.

Imagine if you lost everything in your home but a shell, and only had 20% of the total cost to replace everything?

What can we do?

These guys are heading back to their homes now to clean up and rebuild. They are working together to achieve as much as they can but it is very hard without the tools and equipment they need.

I talked to some people on the ground and worked through what we can do.  Through the funds we have raised I have purchased $500 worth of Bunnings vouchers, and donated $500 myself, so I have $1,000 worth of vouchers to be in the hands of families today, but we need much more.

They have no hammers, nails, wheelbarrows, drills, timber. We need a serious sponsor for these families and we need donations to purchase Bunnings Vouchers for them to purchase the tools they need.

Can you help? This is a serious problem.

A shop in Grantham, an indication of the destruction in Lockyer and what they need to rebuild

Mail your Bunnings / Gift vouchers to

Sonia Cuff

PO Box 778

Aspley Qld 4034

So much has been happening behind the Baked Relief scenes I can assure you.

We have had a meeting of minds (over Twitter of course) with Mother’s Helping Others.

Mothers Helping Others was founded in 2006 following Cyclone Larry. Over the past few years they have implemented a diverse range of programs and projects aimed at helping families in the Cassowary Coast region. Their list of achievements is so wonderful and I am very pleased to be working with them to assist families. You can see more here www.connect2mums.com.au

A sponsor offered to provide the funds to get 50 essentials boxes on the ground in Far North Queensland. Fantastic!

From Big W we have secured 50 essentials boxes for Tully / Mission Beach families.  These boxes are slightly different to the ones we developed for Lockyer Valley due to power issues and location. We have included some camp stoves and large plastic containers for food storage and Tropical Rid as mold and mozzies are an issue in our tropical climates. Big W has been helping us with delivery and individual packing of these 50 boxes which has been a huge help.

Along with Peace Mitchel from Mothers Helping Others and Connect2Mums and some wonderful women in Far North Queensland, baked relief has reached the Innisfail SES and families in the hot zone needing help.

I can not thank these wonderful bakers enough, their support means so much to those doing the hard work and doing it tough.

More about our New Beginnings Project coming next!

I have been in and out of flood water and flood zones. It was only a matter of time really before I got caught something I couldn’t throw back.

A waterborne bug (less serious) and a stomach eating virus which resulted in being rushed to hospital and put up in issolation for four days to insure it stayed contained (more serious).

How quickly things change, but then how quickly things can turn around. It took me a week to get back on deck fully feeling normal again, but then I had a huge backlog of catch up to do.

So my little updates will be coming in separate post.

Stay tuned.

Digella is sick, you don't want it!

We are working hard to help the people of FNQ who have been affected by Yasi. I work with a few of these people. My paid job owns and runs a power station just outside of Tully, with most families living in Tully or Mission Beach. Larry was hard, but this is much worse.

Just a recap on what $100 can do for these families?

• Kettle
• Toaster
• Chopping boards
• Utility Knife
• Cuttlery set
• Plastic plates and bowls
• Cups
• Tea towels
• Dishcloth
• Tin of milo
• Coffee
• Tea
• Sugar (or equal)
• UHT Milk
• Jam
• Peanut butter
• Vegimite
• Box of wheatbix
• Washing up liquid
• Note pad and pen
• Zip Lock bags
• A box of cereal

I am currently working on having 50 of these boxes to Tully by the end of next week. It is hard because a lot of the roads to Townsville and Cairns have been cut, hence the delay.

This is a project which will make a real impact to these families setting up a home again for the first time. I could get by with some food and that kit for at least a week if I had to!

So, if you would like to give to this project as we need at least 100 more boxes, please click on the DONATE button to the right of this page

Its happening.

Essentials boxes.

Working with www.sunnymummy.com.au to provide care kits.

Working with www.floodaid.com.au to get support.

Working with http://www.volunteeringqld.org.au

Working with www.globalcare.com.au

We are pumping out Essentials Boxes ASAP (donate button to the right hand side)

Not enough time to explain more

As most people know, I (Danielle) have been spending a lot of time in the Lockyer Valley working out the needs of the flood affected and helping to get them back on their feet asap. Today I was joined by another Baked Relief volunteer Victoria and we headed out to the Lockyer to continue working on the current projects. Victoria brought some of her beautiful cupcakes with her too!

Essentials Boxes

We have put together 50 Essentials Boxes which families have been collecting them over the last day. Tears of thanks. And gratefullness spilling out of these people. What they don’t see is the gratefulness that is spilling out of us. As Victoria and I helped them with each box filled with condiments, cuttlery, small white goods and some plastic containers we sent them all with silent messages of hope and love from everyone who has donated to this cause. Both financially, phycially and in prayer and thoughts.

When you give, you can never expect the reward it gives you in return.

I have always explained to these families that these boxes have been put together with financial contributions of families who care about them and want to help. You can see in their eyes how much this means.

Today, one of the guys we helped with a box who lost everything told us that the name everyone called him by was actually his stage name. So we got talking some more and what do you know? He has a little band, he has written a song about the flood and he is dying to perform for any Baked Relief event we hold. A link to his facebook page is here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beau-Rivers-Band/149429715091481?v=wall

What a lovely man. He had tears in his eyes as he talked about the wonderful caring people who have been looking after them in the recovery center, to the Baked Relief people who have donated and all the help they have recieved so far.

Adopt a Family – Meals to Families (so far)

We also set up some families with meals made by two wonderful women in Brisbane. These families were pleased to be given the night off from trying to find something to cook yet something home cooked for them. As the CWA ladies would say “never underestimate the value of comfort food”

Situation in Grantham

After our time in Helidon we raced into Grantham to see what help we could give there and to spread the word about the Essentials Boxes to families who many not have mobile phones etc. We stopped to give some of Victorias cupcakes to the Police and the road block. They love the Digellamobile now and know to keep an eye out for my number plate!  Then we met with the wonderful workers of Global Care working on the ground to feed the workers in Grantham main street. They have just set up, so we had a talk about how Baked Relief could help them out with serving the volunteers and workers coming through this week.

At this point I should note that volunteer work has not really even started in Grantham. Entry into Grantham is still very much restricted to ID / Approval only.  Mud and debris is still everywhere. Many houses are marked with spray paint “DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE” all the others are tied up with police tape as a message that the house, cars etc have been fully ‘checked’ I am guessing you can work out what that means

The Army have arrived with this biggest tent I have EVER seen across the road from the Helidon Community Centre. HELLO BOYS! Another good reason for all you single girls to help out with Baked Relief (hehe) But in all seriousness, it was three weeks ago today that the flood came, and the work has only just begun. If you are looking to volunteer out in Grantham, keep an eye back here, on our Facebook page and on Twitter because as soon as I get details I will post them.

I met with a wonderful Chaplain in Grantham who is working directly with the affected families and now have an even stronger link to help over the coming weeks. We are going to get these families feeling LOVED!

Urgent Needs

Desperately in need of NEW linen for families in all combinations. Pillows are in HIGH demand. There are two options for the Lockyer Valley linen project.

Option 1. Parkview Aged Care, Gympie Road, Chermside (across from Westfield) are collecting for us and I am taking them directly out to the families

Option 2. Drop to me at Annerley. Leave a comment here and I will email you through the details.

I am sorry I have been slow to update, but it has been a busy busy time! I will try and get some more photos loaded up ASAP. There are some wonderful ones.

Thank you everyone, please know that your support means so much to these families.

The clean up phase after the floods is now winding down, however the longer term need is ramping up.

The Ballymore Relief Centre (#Ballymorerelief) has set up as a storage and distribution hub.

It will be open daily from 10am-2pm to accept donations of food and other essentials. Currently the Ballymore Relief team is working with people on the ground in Goodna and Ipswich to work out what is needed and who needs it. It will also be working with communities further west as we are advised of need. Food and other essentials are being transported out daily.

The Ballymore Relief Centre is being coordinated by Veterans Rugby Queensland, who have donated the XXXX Golden Oldies clubhouse as a dropoff point. Access to the clubhouse is via the last entrance off Clyde Road, Herston (at Ballymore Football field).

What is needed:

FOOD:

OTHER ESSENTIAL ITEMS

We ask that the items you donate are in good condition and of the quality that you would be happy to receive and use. The people who are receiving these items might be going through a difficult time, but that is no reason for them to be given ripped, torn, chipped, cracked or otherwise damaged goods. These people are proud – let’s not embarrass them.

If you would like to know more, please contact Mel at  mel@melkettle.com.au or Greg at  greg.cree@gmail.com