'We are so grateful' - Baby bank supporting families in Boston and North Kesteven receives donation of almost £60,000
A baby bank supporting families in need in Boston and North Kesteven has received a donation of almost £60,000 to support its work.
Citizens Advice Mid Lincolnshire launched the Baby Bliss Baby Bank project last year to help alleviate the symptoms of child poverty, while reducing waste and encouraging families to re-gift items that they no longer need.
At the time, there was no such provision in the area, the charity said.
It was also uncertain as to how it might be funded.
Louise Buckingham, Citizens Advice Mid Lincolnshire’s chief executive officer, said: “It was obvious what people coming to us needed, and we wanted to help, but we were worried about how to fund it – but one Friday afternoon we simply said ‘let’s just do it anyway’.”
Today, the baby bank provides clothes, toys, prams and other babycare equipment for families with children up to the age of three.
“Some of the stories we hear are harrowing,” said Louise. “We support people who have to limit the number of times their baby is changed because they don’t always have the 75p necessary to buy a pack of Size 1 nappies from Lidl.”
The service has been supported by donations of outgrown or unused teams, as well as pieces saved from going from landfill by staff at the Tattershall Household Waste Recycling Centre, at Lincoln.
Cash donations, meanwhile, have helped the team buy supplies.
The baby bank has also been able to help families-to-be and families-on-the-grow by providing collections of toiletries for those going into hospital to have babies.
“Often, they don’t have the basics,” Louise said, giving the example of someone escaping domestic abuse.
Now, the service has been helped by a donation of almost £60,000 (£59,993 to be precise) from the Freemasons’ charity, the Masonic Charitable Foundation.
The donation will guarantee support for more than 500 families over three years, it said.
The head of Lincolnshire’s 3,000 Freemasons Dave Wheeler said: “It’s only by talking to people like Louise and her team that you begin to realise the scale of the problem and the work going on to address it. Their commitment goes to show what can be achieved if a group of people has the courage to say ‘yes if…’ to something that’s never been done before.
“Freemasonry has been pleased to recognise the bravery of that commitment with a substantial donation that, alongside others, will help to sustain a service clearly of enormous value to people in Boston and North Kesteven.”
Louise said: “Receiving this funding from the Masonic Charitable Foundation has made a huge difference to our service and the Baby Bliss project.
“It has enabled us to recruit a dedicated adviser to assist families in need. Not only can we provide our families with the items that they need for their babies to thrive, but we can also assist by addressing the root cause of financial difficulties.
“Our adviser can help in income maximisation, budgeting, grant searches and information on maternity rights. We are so grateful for this donation as it will allow us to support so many more people who need our help."
For more on the Baby Bliss Baby Bank, including how to support it, visit https://lincscvp.org.uk/baby-bliss-baby-bank/