St Vincent de Paul Society completes third and final round of Community Bushfire Recovery Grant Program

The third and final round of the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Community Bushfire Recovery Grant Program has seen $674,884 distributed to 32 organisations in areas affected by the black summer bushfires.

In total, the Society has provided $1.3 million via the Program.

“The Community Bushfire Recovery Grant Program is one of the ways the Society has been providing help beyond the aid we were distributing during the black summer bushfires.

“Destruction caused by natural disasters doesn’t end when the immediate threat is over and people need help rebuilding over the medium and long-term.

“Vinnies remains committed not just to providing people with help in moments of crisis but also to helping them rebuild their homes, lives, and communities,” St Vincent de Paul Society NSW CEO, Jack de Groot, said.

“Our community grants have been provided in sums of up to $30,000 to organisations who are building infrastructure or developing programs that will help restore communities and help them weather future crises.

“This may mean refurbishing a community hall used as an evacuation centre during the fires, to funding mental health programs, to repairing tourist attractions like mountain biking tracks burnt out in the conflagration.

“This is all important work to help these communities rebuild and shows why you always need to think of the long-term when it comes to disaster relief,” Mr de Groot said.

“The Society has been providing assistance to the people of NSW in their times of greatest need for 140 years,” St Vincent de Paul Society NSW Vice President Social Justice, Brooke Simmons, said.

“Whoever they are, whatever the disadvantage they face, we are here to help.

“Our capacity to provide assistance has grown over time and it is fuelled by the generosity of people who donate to the Society.

“Thanks again to everyone who donated to our Bushfire Appeal – your support didn’t just see people get what they need in the immediate aftermath of the fires, it’s helping them rebuild over the long-term, too,” Ms Simmons said.

Media contact: Lachlan Jones | 0417 446 430