One of the enduring images in the aftermath of the Lismore floods was furniture and bedding piled high in the streets.
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Although the city has been cleaned up and is under repair, behind the four walls of many homes there's not a stick of furniture.
Enter a good corporate citizen and one of Australia's most iconic charities the Salvation Army.
Amart has provided $1m in vouchers which the Salvos are handing out $1,000 at a time.
Major Bev Kingston said the Salvos had been walking door to door handing out the vouchers, which were mostly greeted by tears from flood-impacted residents.
"Everyone has lost furniture so a $1,000 Amart voucher goes a long way," she said.
"We gave an Amart voucher to one woman who was in a Winnebago and she was crying because her husband had been sleeping in a chair since the floods and now they can buy a bed.
"Another lady said now I can buy a cupboard to put my things in once again."
Major Kingston is a veteran of cyclones, floods and bushfires, but she has never seen anything quite like the Lismore floods.
"This is absolutely huge and widespread. The nature of it has affected so many people," she said.
This is absolutely huge and widespread.
- Salvation Army Major Bev Kingston
Walking door to door and offering support during the aftermath of the floods had been a key thing.
"That way we have captured all those people who haven't gone to recovery hubs," she said.
"There is still so many in too much trauma, so when you offer them grants and such a generous donation it feels really good."
Major Kingston agreed it was common that many people find it hard to accept help thinking there was always someone worse off than them.
"At the moment there is no end date around. We are in it for the long haul," she said.
"At the moment we are trying to get more boots on the ground."
The Salvation Army is distributing Amart Furniture store vouchers to those who have experienced significant or total loss to their homes as a result of the floods.
I'm a media professional with over 34 years of experience in public relations and journalism, including a decade setting Lismore's news agenda as the editor of The Northern Star. I have proven track record in growing audiences and improving engagement by delivering quality local stories for and about the Lismore community.
I'm a media professional with over 34 years of experience in public relations and journalism, including a decade setting Lismore's news agenda as the editor of The Northern Star. I have proven track record in growing audiences and improving engagement by delivering quality local stories for and about the Lismore community.
