Paul Newman’s Charity Donates Fire Trucks to Australia

Australia’s bushfire-ravaged communities will get a lift in fire fighting efforts thanks to a donation from Newman's Own Foundation.

Newman’s Own, founded by late actor and philanthropist, Paul Newman, distributes the profits from the sales of a range of sauces and dressings and an all natural product line of food and beverages to various charities around the world. In 25 years, the foundation has donated over $290 million.

Recently, the Foundation has provided fire fighting equipment and money for fire station upgrades in hopes that this will help in Australia’s annual bushfire season. The secretary of the Fire Brigade Employees Union in New South Wales state, Jim Casey, believes the Australian bushfire seasons is getting longer and fires more frequent and intense. The worst occurred in February 2009 – the deadliest fire season for people and homes in Victoria state.

Newman’s Own gave the fire halls of two towns in Victoria each a new ultra-light tanker that, according to Kinglake West Brigade captain Ms Karyn Norbury, “will be able to traverse a much larger part of the local area, including dense scrub and small dirt tracks that can be difficult for larger fire-fighting appliances to access.” Another town welcomed $71 thousand from the Foundation to upgrade its fire station.