February saw the worst natural disaster in Australian history strike Victoria, with devastating bush fires sweeping across the state. The fires destroyed at least 2,029 homes, 3,500 structures in total and damaged thousands more. More than 170 people lost their lives, and hundreds more were injured. Many towns north-east of the state capital Melbourne were badly damaged or almost completely destroyed, including Kinglake, Marysville, Narbethong, Strathewen and Flowerdale. Many houses in the towns of Steels Creek, Humevale, Wandong, St Andrews, Callignee, and Koornalla were also destroyed or damaged, with several fatalities recorded at each location. The fires affected 78 individual townships in total and left an estimated 7,500 people homeless.

But even in this time of terrible trial, the Australian spirit of mateship shone through. A fundraising appeal launched by the Red Cross raised more than $300 million for the communities and survivors affected by the fires. Charities were inundated with donations of clothes, food and other supplies. The Australian public’s generosity was nothing short of inspirational, and as with previous National tragedies, Tupperware also showed its support and leant a hand.

One of the immediate needs of the survivor shelters was plastic containers to store and serve food, and containers for people to carry food and clothing with. Tupperware offered to assist the Australian Red Cross here wherever possible.

We also introduced our ‘Party for your Mates in March’ mission. The plan was simple: for every party held in March Tupperware promised to donate $50.00 of Tupperware products to the victims of the Black Saturday fires. Additionally, for every new recruit during March, Tupperware pledged to donate $200 to the victims. Our goal was to donate $1,000,000 or more to our friends in Victoria.

Tupperware is very proud to announce that with your help, we have exceeded that target. Thanks to everyone pitching in and lending a hand to help their mates, we managed to raise A$1,134,300 of product to help those families affected by the Black Saturday fires.

This donation is being facilitated by the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (VBRRA), and distribution will commence shortly. VBRRA has an equitable distribution policy in place to ensure all people affected by the recent bushfires can access generous donations like this. For more information, visit www.wewillrebuild.vic.gov.au

This was a fantastic effort, and couldn’t have been achieved without the help of everyone on the Tupperware team. Give yourselves a big round of applause – you deserve it!