If you’ve been keeping up with the news, you’re likely well aware that Australia is suffering from a massive breakout of bushfires, which are devastating the country’s land, animals, and citizens. Many have stepped up to offer aide, including numerous celebrities who are making donations to fund relief efforts and put a spotlight on this crisis so that others will do the same. We’ve assembled a list of various public figures and game development studios who have contributed and where they pledged their money, and we’ve provided instructions on how to get involved yourself.
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Chris Hemsworth
Known for his role as Thor in the MCU, Hemsworth and his family announced on Instagram that they would be donating $1 million to help fight the Australian bushfires. “As you’re well aware, the bushfires in Australia have caused massive devastation and they continue to burn,” said Hemsworth, an Australian native. “I’m going to put forth a million dollars and I was hoping that all of you could contribute in any way, shape or form… dig deep, lots of love.”
Dacre Montgomery
Stranger Things star and Australian native Dacre Montogmery took to Twitter to announce a GoFundMe aimed at fighting the Australian bushfires, which has raised over $354,000 at the time or writing. “As you’re sitting there watching this video on your phone, I want to ask you for your help,” Montgomery said. “Australia is in dire need of your help… we’ve lost an area the size of Belgium to wildfires — we need your help.”
Ellen DeGeneres
Talk show host and popular comedian Ellen Degeneres announced on Twitter that she has donated an undisclosed amount to three different organizations that are helping to fight the Australian bushfires and encouraged her fans to do the same. “It’s almost impossible to understand the size and destruction of the fires in Australia,” says DeGeneres. “Here are three organizations I’ve already donated to. I hope you’ll donate, too.”
Elton John
The Grammy award winning singer, Elton John, recently pledged $1 million to the Australian Bush Funds during his Farewell Yellowbrick Road Tour which happened to be in Australia at the time. Announced at his concert and reposted later on Twitter, John said, “You should all be in awe of the work that the firefighters are doing… there are people out there who have lost their lives trying to save homes.” John continues, “As I said earlier, this is a magnificent country that I have been coming to since 1971, I love it here so much. To see what is happening here breaks my heart.”
Gordon Ramsay
Known by many for his brutal food reviews, the Food Network Chef Gordon Ramsay has announced on Instagram he will be auctioning off an exclusive lunch to the highest bidder, which will be donated to the Australian wildfire fund. He recently followed up his initial announcements, sharing that he would be adding another seat to the lunch, which earned $100,000 in bids. “Thank you to everyone who bid… the Aussie spirit that I’ve seen firsthand the past few days is so inspiring,” Ramsay said.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio’s organization, Earth Alliance, recently announced that it would be donating $3 million to help provide aid and support to those fighting the bushfires in Australia. Earth Alliance aims to “help address the urgent threats to our planet’s life support systems,” and was founded by Leonardo DiCaprio, Laurene Powell Jobs, and Brian Sheth. In addition to his organization’s donations, DiCaprio recently saved a drowning man just outside of St. Barts.
Rebel Wilson
The Pitch Perfect star and comedian Rebel Wilson auctioned off an exclusive lunch in her home to two fans who donated $100,000 to the Australian wildfire fund. Wilson told bidders that they’d “be the first ones to christen my new dining table,” which was enough to quickly earn two separate $50,000 bids.
Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe, who recently won a Golden Globe for his performance in The Loudest Voice, announced that he would be donating $105,000 to help fight the wildfires in Australia. Crowe took to Instagram to share that he would be delivering 19 different checks, totaling $105,000 that would go towards various wildfire relief funds. Crowe also elected to stay home with his family in Australia instead of attending the Golden Globes. His acceptance speech was given by Jennifer Anniston and can be viewed on YouTube.
Bethesda
Bethesda has announced that it will be donating all of the proceeds from a limited-edition Fallout shirt to help fight the fires in Australia. The exclusive t-shirt is available in the Bethesda Gear Store and features the Vault Boy holding a koala in his arms on the front and a Salvation Army heartbeat emblem on the back. All of the proceeds from the shirt will be going directly to the Salvation Army Australia to help fight the fires.
Bungie
During the January 9 This Week at Bungie update, developers announced that it would be selling a limited edition Destiny 2 t-shirt, with half of the proceeds going to WIRES and the other half going to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. For those that would like to help, shirts will be available for pre-order from January 16 through February 18. Further, those who order a short will receive a code for the Star Light, Star Bright emblem.
“Time and time again, you have been Guardians to others in their greatest time of need,” said Christine Edwards, senior Foundation manager at Bungie. “Over the past two decades, the Bungie community has been an amazing force for good in our world by raising millions of dollars to assist those in distress.”
Infinity Ward
The developers behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare announced on Twitter that it will be releasing a new in-game pack, aptly named “The Outback Relief Pack,” with all proceeds going to help fight the wildfires. Those who purchase the pack will get the “Bushranger” operator skin, a legendary blueprint for Sniper Rifle Charlie weapon, a koala-shaped charm, a new finishing move, and a couple of other cosmetic add-ons like a sticker and calling card. Buyers also get a free battle pass tier skip.
The Outback Relief Pack was available for purchase until January 31 and raised over $1.6 million for relief funds. “From everyone at Infinity Ward, Call of Duty, and Activision, thank you for your consideration,” the companies said. “Our hearts go out to all of those who have been affected.”
Kojima Productions
Death Stranding developer, Kojima Productions, has announced it will donate all funds received from a special “Connect for Australia” t-shirt toward saving animals affected by the Australian bushfires. The shirt can be purchased on the Kojima Productions website for $25, with all proceeds going directly to the Australian branch of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
The front of the shirt shows an outline of Australia, with blue lines connecting the country together – playing off the connection theme in Death Stranding. If you’re not interested in the shirt, you can buy a special Death Stranding PS4 avatar for $1, which will also be donated to the RSPCA.
Sony
Sony Foundation Australia has announced that it will be donating $200,000 to the Gaming4Life charity stream to help raise money for the Australian bushfires. In addition to the monetary donation, PlayStation team members will appear on various Gaming4Life streams during the month of February to continue to raise money for the wildfire relief fund.
Former President of Sony Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida and Insomniac Games Founder Ted Price are among those who will be participating. The full schedule of appearances can be located on the PlayStation blog.
Ubisoft Australia
Ubisoft Australia announced on Twitter that it will be donating $30,000 to Red Cross Australia to help fight the fires that are currently devastating its country. Developers shared that they elected to do a direct donation in lieu of making some type of in-game items because that “takes considerable development time and we feel immediate action is required.” The developers are also encouraging everyone to help out in any way that they can.
Warframe
The developers of Warframe, the popular free-to-play online shooter, announced that it will be donating $30,000 to the Australian wildfire relief fund. “Our hearts go out to those affected by the Australia wildfires,” said developers on Twitter. Further, developers are also giving all Tenno a free Yooka Floof that can be displayed in-game to help raise awareness for the fires and will serve as a symbol of hope and compassion.
Ali-A
Popular YouTuber and Fortnite streamer Ali-A recently hosted a Fortnite charity stream where he pledged to donate $1 for every piece of wood that he collected in his stream along with all of the money earned from that video, to help fight the Australian bushfires. By the time the stream was over, Ali-A had collected almost 5,000 pieces of wood — equaling a $5,000 donation. He is also encouraging his viewers to share his video on social media, as all earnings from the video will be donated to help fight the bushfires.
Lachlan and Ninja
Lachlan, an Australian YouTuber, also hosted a Fortnite charity stream, in which he pledged to donate $500 to the Australian wildfire fund for every campfire win during his stream. While it was going on, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins casually donated $30,000 to support his fellow streamer and help provide aid to those in Australia. By the end, Lachlan finished with a total donation amount of $34,849.04, with some help from Ninja, which more than tripled his $10,000 donation goal.
LazarBeam
Joining in with others, the popular YouTuber, LazarBeam, hosted a Fortnite charity stream to help raise money for the fires in Australia. He capped off his six hour stream by raising a total of $100,000 to help fight the Australian bushfires and provide aid for those on the ground. The streamer, who will be appearing in an upcoming Ryan Reynolds comedy, took to Twitter to celebrate the accomplishment and announce that he would be taking a nice long post-stream nap.
Loserfruit and Fasffy
Popular Twitch streamers Loserfrut and Fasffy recently held a 24-hour Twitch stream to raise money for the Australian bushfires. With an initial goal of $15K AUD, the two streamers hit their exceed this in just 52 minutes and ended up raising a total of over $318,000 AUD, which equals around $220,000 USD. “The stream over the weekend really highlights the power of influencers and their ability to mobilize their audiences to make a real impact,” said Grace Watkins, the co-founder of Click Management, the company which manages Loserfruit.
Where to Donate for Australian Bushfires Relief
If you would like to help join these celebrities and game developers in donating to the Australian bushfire fund, you can do so through the Australian Red Cross. By donating through this link, you can ensure that your funds will go directly to the men and women who are hard at work on the ground in Australia fighting the fires day in and day out. Every dollar you are able to donate will help go towards ending the awful tragedy in Australia.
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