Thank you again to those customers and staff members who changed their Community Benefit Card to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. The donation for the month of May 2009 will be the last to be allocated to the Bushfire Appeal but the Ritchies Emergency Relief Fund will continue to accumulate funds.

You can continue using this card for as long as you like as the money will continue to be allocated to Ritchies Emergency Relief Fund and held in the Lord Mayors Charitable Foundation (LMCF) Trust Account until such time as it may be needed for distribution in times of disaster whether it be international, national or local.

Ritchies Emergency Relief Fund started life as the Tsunami Appeal in 2004 with a donation of $78,811.83 and has since supplied the funding for Rotary Shelterboxes for victims of cyclone “Nargis” in Burma; $100,000 for the victims of cyclone “Larry” in Queensland; helped The Salvation Army Drought Relief Appeal; SES units in NSW; and donated over $70,000 to all Victorian CFA units affected by bushfires in February 2007.

Since February this year, Ritchies Emergency Relief Fund (Victorian Bushfire Appeal) has donated $100,000 which had accumulated in the fund plus the donation for February of $44,880.12 making a total of $144,880.12 for the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal; the donation for the month of March was $54,175.77, which has been donated to the Rotary District 9820 Bushfire Appeal for use in the Gippsland area to rebuild urgently needed fences and the April donation of $40,518.67 will be donated to the Yarra Glen CFA.

A total well in excess of $309,000 has been donated for international, national and local disasters through Ritchies Emergency Relief Fund since 2004.

By the year 2000, the average supermarket trolley contained groceries that were 85% foreign owned or made. Independent retailers are now fighting back! Many of Australia's largest independent grocery retailers have got together to promote Aussie owned brands on their shelves via Fight Back's "shelf talker" program.

This initiative will give consumers the choice of supporting Australian made & owned brands. Aussie manufacturers have fought against multi-nationals with large marketing budgets for decades. Imports of low priced products from developing countries have destroyed the industry, and reduced food manufacturing exports by nearly one third. Buy Australian made and owned products and support our manufacturers first... they are part of the fabric of the Australian way of life, and they support our local communities, and sporting teams. The Fight Back Shelf Talker Program makes buying 'Australian made and owned’ products easier!

When you see one of these "Shelf Talkers" in front of a product in your friendly, local IGA supermarket, you are assured that the store continues to range your favourite Aussie Owned brands, and the supermarket is also Australian Owned. Support Aussie farmers, and fruit and vegetable growers, Australian Owned grocery brands, and your locally owned IGA supermarket. Simply support your favourite 'Aussie Owned, or Grown products.' Look for the Fight Back Shelf Talkers instore!

Visit Fightback for Australia for more information.

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