Hi there,

With just over a week to go before we close our doors for 2021, I need to ask for your help one last time. We’re still $29,177 short of our goal for the Christmas Appeal and have 72 babies on our waiting list to help before 25 December.

​​I’ve shared a few stories with you about families on the waitlist in the lead up to Christmas. Today, I’d like to share a note that we received from a Mum who used our service. Kat and her two children needed urgent support. Please read on to see the impact of a donation at this time of year. If you can donate today, we can help others just like Kat before Christmas.

“Thank you for the generous clothing and toiletries given to myself and my two young children. I left a violent relationship and found myself in a situation where money was tight and I couldn’t buy the next size clothing and shoes for my children. Having donated to you in the past, I never thought I’d be on the receiving end. It’s quite amazing to be on both sides of the process. I feel loved. I feel seen and not forgotten. And I feel important. In an instant the pressure of having to provide items for my children was gone… pure relief! 
 
We received a full bag of clothes for both of them, including new items with tags still attached which I would never be able to afford to buy, along with a bag full of nappies and wipes, toiletries for all of us and a bag of books for the kids. 
 
Thank you for packaging these items with dignity and respect; the attention to detail made me feel like I was receiving a gift of support from my community, rather than an act of “charity”. I cried at the handmade items included, knowing that selfless individuals crafted these just for us. This is an experience I will never forget. I know the need is big, but your hearts are bigger. 
 
Kat x

The impact of a donation is incredibly powerful. For some of the families on our waiting list, the gift we are hoping to provide may be the only one they receive this year. Clothing, shoes, toiletries, nappies and wipes are such basic necessities. Essentials no child should go without.

Can you please make a donation to our Christmas Appeal and help a family like Kat's today? 

Our last urgent orders are being picked up by social workers, ready to distribute as late as next Wednesday afternoon so there is still plenty of time to help. 

This time of year is supposed to be a happy time. But for many families, it’s the most difficult time of all. There are families worried about where their baby will sleep safely tonight. Families without a spare pair of underwear or a clean set of clothes. Others with no safe way to get their kids to and from the supermarket in the car or by foot. 

Please help one last time this year so we can ensure no child goes without this Christmas. 

With love and thanks, 

Ruth Holdaway MBE
CEO

PS If you can help families beyond Christmas and far into the future, then please sign up to make a monthly donation and be part of our special Give to Grow community.