World’s richest man Jeff Bezos donates $1million to help victims of Australia’s bushfires
- His massive online retail company Amazon will give the cash to relief efforts
- Funds go to Red Cross, Salvation Army, WIRES, and volunteer fire services
- Partnered with BlazeAid to urge customers to donate supplies for fire fronts
- Wish list on Amazon used to buy and send the items to the organisation
Online retail behemoth Amazon is donating $1 million to Australian bushfire relief efforts.
Founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man with a US$113 billion (AU$163.8 billion) fortune, pledged the contribution on Sunday.
‘Our hearts go out to all Australians as they cope with these devastating bushfires,’ he wrote on his Instagram.
‘Amazon is donating 1 million AU dollars in needed provisions and services. Find more about it and learn how customers can help as well.’
The world’s second richest man Jeff Bezos has donated $1million to the bushfire relief efforts
Funds will be distributed to the Australian Red Cross, the Salvation Army Australia, animal charity WIRES, and Rural and Country Fire Services.
Mr Bezos linked to a blog post on the Amazon site asking customers to donate to relief efforts by buying needed items through his company.
Amazon will ship the items to Australian volunteer group BlazeAid, from a wishlist compiled on the online sales platform.
‘The donated products, including water, food, safety clothing, building materials, and more, have been specifically requested by BlazeAid as essential to aid their volunteers in the recovery efforts,’ the blog post read.
A NSW firefighter holds a hose as they prepares to extinguish a wall of flames burning near the town of Bilpin on December 19
BlazeAid describes itself as a volunteer organisation that ‘works with families and individuals in rural Australia after natural disasters such as fires and floods.
‘Working alongside the rural families, our volunteers help to rebuild fences and other structures that have been damaged or destroyed.’
Amazon and Mr Bezos join a long list of international celebrities and businesspeople who have pledged big donations to help with the bushfires.
The biggest individual donation so far is $10 million by Western Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest and his wife Nicola.
Mr Forrest promised another $10 million to mobilise volunteers and another $50 million to set up a think tank to help prevent future fires.