Rockford woman sews joey pouches for orphaned baby kangaroos affected by Australian wildfires

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- A Rockford woman is doing her part to help animals injured in the Australian wildfires.

Becky Coulson is sewing so-called "joey pouches" to send to the fire-stricken country, reported WIFR.

Firefighters there are struggling to gain control as the blazes devastate ecosystems and wildlife.

RELATED: Meet one of the dogs saving koalas from Australian wildfires

Baby kangaroos can use the joey pouches to stay alive without their mother's pouch.

Coulson says fabric like cotton t-shirts can be crucial to the infant mammals' survival.

"If the baby starts off this big, and the mother has just been tragically injured they're going to need a size of these every stage for the next 11 to possibly 13 months," she said.

Coulson isn't the only one looking for creative ways to help animals impacted by the fires.

Knitters around the world are handmaking everything from pouches, nests and even mittens, according to Good Morning America.

The effort is being spearheaded by the Animal Rescue Collective, which is a Brisbane-based organization that supports animal rescues across Australia.

The organization's Craft Guild is using Facebook to ask for help in knitting these items and has shared the patterns to make them.

At least 25 people and more than a billion animals have been killed, along with thousands of homes destroyed.

RELATED: Australia bushfires equivalent to 40% of Illinois being burned

Coulson is partnering with "Quilting In The Valley" for this project. If you're interesting in helping, the group is holding a sew-in event for the public on Sunday.

ABC7Chicago contributed to this article.