As the nation’s attention has largely moved on from the floods that devastated parts of Australia’s east coast earlier this year, Greater Bank is working to help effected communities. Greater Bank’s programs in the Northern Rivers area as part of its #GreaterNorthernRivers program which aims to support the community by providing funding for organisations that are bringing people together for the common good.
The Program’s May round provided a one-off funding pool of $30,000, which will be split amongst three beneficiaries as a way of supporting flood-affected communities across the Northern Rivers region.
After winning this month’s community vote, Resilient Lismore plan to use the funding to continue to support the many thousands of people across the region that are still recovering from the catastrophic floods that destroyed much of the region in March this year.
Resilient Lismore (originally Lismore Helping Hands) is a grassroots, community-run organisation that was formed following the 2017 flooding. They help Lismore residents to rebuild their lives by connecting locals with volunteer help, information and services.
Resilient Lismore Coordinator Elly Bird said the group has been inundated with calls for assistance, and many people in the region are still facing an uncertain future.
“We are a volunteer-powered community group that provides support to people who are navigating the recovery process. Our community hub links people with donated goods and information, and our tool library is providing essential cleaning supplies and equipment to help the community rebuild,” Elly explained.
The group has already responded to more than 2,000 requests for help, and there are many more people in the community that still require assistance.
“We manage the Resilient Lismore Facebook group with over 30,000 members, which is the primary online space for the Northern Rivers community to access reliable, timely information and offers of help.