Our mission is to empower those experiencing hardship and tragedy by motivating the community to help provide in-demand emergency supplies when disaster arises. Founded by Deb Brook, BCER is a grassroots charity that was formed after the mammoth, coordinated contributions the community made during the January 2020 bushfires through our initial community group on social media.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A simple idea on New Years Eve 2019 saw us launch a humble Facebook group on New Years Day 2020. It was incredible to see how quickly the Bayside community united and swung into action - donating hundreds of thousands of dollars in essential supplies for the January 2020 "Black Summer" bushfire crisis. It was truly humbling to work alongside selfless individuals who stepped up and provided support to those devastated by bushfires and witness the many ongoing convoys heading into dangerous, fire-ravaged regions around Victoria. With the help of our community, were able to assist not only people in need, but also wildlife shelters in distress, as animals were a major casualty of the bushfires.
 
After the bushfire season, our plan was to hand over the BCER model so that other localities might be inspired to build similar community-based groups. However, after encouragement from a large number of supportive voices, Bayside Community Emergency Relief became an incorporated association with full charity status. This makes it possible for us to continue to give our community, of not only Bayside residents but statewide, the chance to unite in a structured way during times of emergencies. We are proud to say that the The BCER concept has made a significant impact to our community, inspiring various groups across Australia.

We wouldn't be able to do this without the support of our fantastic community of people who are always eager to help and support us. Thank you to everyone for your amazing, continued contribution during the bushfire crisis, through covid and beyond. The on-going support and collaboration from our community is invaluable to our mission. We kindly ask that you encourage people to spread the word, so that we can increase our communities' contribution in times of emergencies even more in the future. We post donation callouts of specifically required goods on our Facebook group, hold community events and packing sessions where our incredible volunteer army  make new connections while helping those in need.​