In the aftermath of a disaster, communities rallying for other communities, most of the time unknown to them, showcases the goodness of humanity.
Lilydale’s Meat Inn Place was quick to offer support, at first thinking they could cater and cook bacon and egg rolls for firefighters deployed to suppress the Longwood fires.
This quickly shifted to taking loads of donations to fire-affected communities after a single social media post reached around 150,000 people.
The overwhelming number of people wanting to give back came as a shock to owners Jacinta and John, as donations of bottled water, snacks and essential items flooded their doorstep.
“With one simple post asking for a contact, our community and wider network responded immediately, trusting us to ensure supplies were delivered to the right people, in the right places, as quickly as possible,” Jacinta said.
“Within two hours of our very first post, our initial plan of cooking bacon and egg rolls completely changed. Instead, we became a central drop-off point and began delivering essential goods directly to affected communities.
“Every day since, we have had between one and four vehicles on the road delivering necessities.”
The Lilydale CFA were able to put Jacinta and John in touch with the CFA’s catering division to ensure they could deliver what was most essential to firefighters on the ground.
“When we first spoke to them, they said, the things we need are water, electrolytes and easy snacks to eat in the truck. So that’s what we asked for, and that’s what we got,” Jacinta said.
The first lot of donations collected on Friday 9 January filled a van to the roof and were delivered on Saturday morning to Yarra Glen, to then be safely distributed to the fire grounds.
On the Saturday alone, they were able to deliver 180 slabs of drinks, alongside food and snacks.
Jacinta said that throughout Saturday 10 January, until about 11pm that night, donations from the community were being dropped off for them to deliver.
“We felt honoured that people trusted us to make sure that it got to the right places,” she said.
Requests from the CFA volunteers evolved into needing sunscreen, baby wipes and lip balm, which were all generously donated.
John headed to Alexandra once able and was met with immense gratitude.
“When John got to Alex the second day, there was a line of firefighters, like a production line, just unloading from the cars. And at the end, he said it was like they all just got together and had a big hug and thanked him.
“He said they are so thankful for everything we’re doing. It’s great that our little community can help their little community.”
Once the fire was further contained and controlled, Jacinta said they were able to turn their attention to supporting the relief centres.
The list of groups and locations John and Jacinta have helped, visited, or been in direct contact with includes: Whanregarewen Station, Molesworth CFA, Yarck Station, Yarck Community Hall, Yarra Glen Relief, Lilydale CFA, Salvation Army, Fawcett Community, Yea Community House, Seymour Relief Centre, the Highlands Hub, Alexandra CFA and Menzies Support Services.
The aim for Friday 16 January was to provide support to the Euroa Relief Centre, Euroa FoodWorks, and Ruffy Hall.
“Whoever reaches out, that’s where we go. We just open up our cars and vans when we get there, and they take what they want, then we drive on to the next destination,” Jacinta said.
Although Meat Inn Place issued the initial call out, Jacinta said the snowball effect of people wanting to help was phenomenal, with many businesses stepping in financially but also with time, resources and energy.
The Fine Food Merchant’s Ethan and Jack, Jacinta said, had been instrumental in this, offering to do deliveries, seeing the two businesses take it in turns.
Baker’s Delight provided unlimited bread whenever required, and the team at Rural Trade and Fencing in Coldstream supplied materials at below cost, playing a vital role.
Jacinta said with most of the relief centres now well supplied, she, John, Ethan and Jack would be delivering a truck’s worth of fencing materials on Saturday 17 January, as working bees get underway over the weekend.
“Our aim at the moment is to get fencing and fuel for these communities. That’s a big priority now,” she said.
Not taking cash donations, Jacinta said fuel vouchers would be welcomed, or people can purchase a $50 fencing bundle from Rural Trade and Fencing, to be gifted on behalf of the family or individual.
All other donations can be dropped off at Meat Inn Place during business hours, or contact them via Facebook or Instagram for different arrangements.
In a single week, Meat Inn Place, supported by the broader community, was able to provide 700 slabs of water plus other drinks, 500 cases of snack foods and non-perishable supplies, 1000 bread rolls and 400 loaves of bread, 100 cases of medical and hygiene supplies, 100 bags of clothing and bedding and around $5000 worth of fencing supplies.
“The response from affected communities has been incredibly moving. We have been welcomed with open arms, hugs, and genuine gratitude on every delivery.
“One community told us they had been living on biscuits and chips before we were able to provide a barbecue dinner one night.
“Firefighters who had only had access to snacks jumped out of their trucks when they saw fresh sandwiches being delivered.
“We’ll just keep going as long as we can, as long as they need us, and as long as we can get stuff to take to them.”
