The media, marketing, and creative industries have launched a charity to raise funds to support flood-impact Northern Rivers Bundjalung Nation People.
The 200K Lunch Club encourages the industry to forgo a lunch, coffee, or drink this month and instead donate the funds to the charity which is aiming to raise $200,000. The money will be used to help get food, medical and emergency supplies directly into the hands of First Nations people impacted by the Northern River floods.
The initiative was set up by UnLtd Ambassadors for Good Alumni Emmalee Crellin from Yahoo and Jade Harley from Kaimera. The club is supported by Impact.com and is the result of a collective effort of contributors across the industry including impact.com’s Adam Furness and Peter Bray, That Story’s Lauren Brown-Babb, Dentsu Media CEO Sue Squillace, oOh!’s Wade James, as well as Emma and Dominic Brook from Musicians Making a Difference.
The effort was in response to a call out for help from Aboriginal artist Konstantina, a Mullumbimby resident.
‘’The Northern Rivers, known as the Bundjalung Nation, has been hit hard by the record-breaking floods,” Konstantina says.
“The whole community has been devastated, none more than our First Nations people. The deluge has destroyed two of the biggest concentrations of our mob, with Cabbage Tree Island Mission declared a demolition zone. These people have been told it could be more than two years before they have permanent housing.
“We have women and children sleeping in tents in sewage-soaked backyards and in some cases more than 20 people couch surfing at friends’ places. The heroes have left, and the recovery effort is dragging. We need your help, and we need it now.”
The industry is also being encouraged to hold a lunch and donate to the 200K Lunch Club. 100% of all donations will go directly to the on-ground funding facilitators, the Mullumbimby Neighbourhood Centre who are distributing food, medicine, emergency housing, and clean-up supplies to more than 3,000 Bundjalung Nation people who have been impacted by the floods.
The largest single donation will secure an exclusive piece of artwork from Konstantina, valued at over $20,000.
‘’Thanks to our roles as UnLtd Ambassadors for Good, we know that when the ad industry unites, the collective power is phenomenal,” Crellin and Harley say.
“As an industry we are lucky enough to enjoy long lunches where the food is plentiful, and the drinks are flowing. We are asking the media and advertising community to pull together, give up a fancy lunch or dinner and instead donate what they would have spent, to those most effected by the floods.’’
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