Suse at Pea Soup blog has written the following and agreed I could reproduce it here, to spread the word.
ok listen up, there's more
The clean up is continuing. Below you will see a list of things the Diamond Creek Relief Centre urgently requires (as at 15th February). The contact number for the centre is (03) 9438 5299 and the location is 28 Main Hurstbridge Rd, Diamond Creek. Drop off times for donations is between 11am and 2pm. Interstate and international readers, you can choose lightweight items and post them. Go to it.
I don't know about relief centres in other areas - this is my local one and this list was sent to local community groups here. However as mentioned previously, the relief centres are asking that general donations please stop, and only requested items be given now, thanks.
Needed!
15 litre water bottles (filled)
600 ml water bottled (filled)
Aeroguard
Ant Rid
Anti-bacterial wash for baby bottles
Axes
Bleach (to clean water tanks)
Bolt cutters
Bread x dozen
Brooms
Camping chairs/plastic chairs
Chainsaws (petrol)
Cleaning items (detergents, mops, scourers, buckets)
Clothes hangers
Clothes horses/airers
Coffee and tea
Cooking oil
Doonas and doona covers
Eucalyptus oil (individual bottles)
Exercise books
Extension leads **
Fly spray
Folding chairs
Gas lighters
Hack saws
Jerry cans
Lime
Matches
Mattress protectors (all sizes)
Mens and women's wallets
Men's thick work socks
New baby car seats (0-18kg)
New children's shoes and runners
New pillows
Pegs
Picks
Power boards **
Queen size mattresses
Rakes and shovels
Room deodorizers
Rope
Safety glasses (heavy duty)
Storage sheds/garden sheds
String
Sugarsoap
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Tents
Thermos
Tools in good working order (hammers, nails, screws etc)
Unleaded petrol
Washing powder **
Watches
Wheelbarrows
Wire cutters
Witches hats (I presume the orange road kind, not the Harry Potter kind)
Work boots (esp. smaller women's sizes)
Writing pads
** items most urgently needed
I heard on the radio yesterday that Fitzroy Oxfam has set up a wiki for bushfire offers and needs. You can go here and register whatever you can offer ... a caravan, seventeen packets of socks, accommodation for a displaced pet, your services as a qualified tradesperson/lawyer/architect/bulldozer operator, whatever ... and survivors of the bushfire can also visit and register for what they need. It's been running for about 7 days now and apparently is working brilliantly.
Also on a very personal one-to-one level, if you go and look here you will see that Frogdancer is collecting books for a teenage boy she knows whose family lost their house and all their possessions. This young lad was distraught to lose his extensive library, and the frog asked him what books he would like replaced. He's been a bit shy about putting together a list but was apparently blown away that total strangers would send him stuff. Anyway, a suggested list has been put together. If you can't imagine being without your books (and I know I would be heartbroken to lose all mine), go and have a peek at the list and see if you can offer to send him one. Or several.
