Loving Arms volunteers, from left: Linda Johnston, Jackie Wilkins and Shirley Green sorting donated baby clothes. Photo / Supplied
Loving Arms volunteers, from left: Linda Johnston, Jackie Wilkins and Shirley Green sorting donated baby clothes. Photo / Supplied
A local charity that helps new mums and their families is set to kick-start a week long fundraising drive from Sunday, and it's hoped the event will become an annual one.
Loving Arms Charitable Trust has been running for around seven years and provides essential items to new mums in need and their babies.
This year, with an increase in demand due to Covid-19 and more awareness of the charity, they will help over 1000 families. In contrast, they helped just fewer than 200 families in 2019.
And in the last 12 months, they have given out $1 million worth of stock.
As operations rapidly increase, co-founder of Loving Arms Jamie Budd says he hopes the community will get behind their fundraising efforts so they can continue to do what they do.
The fundraising drive coincides with International Day of Eradicating Poverty which is on this Sunday; the local drive will run until October 24.
"We chose that day because it speaks a bit to who we are and what we are trying to do, which is to see every baby adequately clothed and cared for," says Jamie.
"As a charity, we try to release as much pressure financially for people by providing them with essentials when baby is first born. That helps to eradicate a little bit of the poverty, not necessarily by giving them money but by taking some pressure off."
Loving Arms founders Jamie and Sharni Budd. Photo / Supplied
Fundraising efforts will include barbecues at local businesses like Westpac and The Warehouse and posters that feature a QR code to their Givealittle page will be displayed in businesses windows.
"This is about how the community to help us help more, a donation of the cost of a coffee can make a huge difference when you've got a few hundred people doing that," says Jamie.
Schools have also come on board to help the charity out. Te Awamutu College has already hosted a mufti day fundraiser and Waipa Christian School and Pekerau Primary School plan to do the same.
Funds raised will majorly help with the charity's operating costs including leases, insurances and delivery costs like petrol which all increase as demand goes up.
At least two days a week volunteers are out on the road delivering packs, which are given away at no cost, to around 30 families each day.
If Covid-19 restrictions were to prevent any of the fundraising efforts of the drive to go ahead, then Jamie suggests a great way to still help out is through their Givealittle page.
"Poverty is not just going to stop because we can't come out of lockdown, in fact it has increased," says Jamie.
"People reaching out for support has just gone through the roof."
To find out more about the charity and their fundraising drive visit their Facebook Page.
