“One particular item – a stylish bum bag – quickly became Leila’s favourite. It helped her feel confident and fashionable, while also providing a practical way to keep her glucose monitor close at hand. Each time she was visited afterwards, she proudly wore it.”

Leila*, aged 12, arrived in the UK with her parents after seeking asylum from Iran. Living in asylum accommodation, the family were adjusting to an unfamiliar environment while managing significant health and wellbeing challenges.

Leila lives with Type 1 Diabetes and uses a continuous glucose monitor to manage her condition. Alongside the practical demands of her health needs, Leila, aged 12, arrived in the UK with her parents after seeking asylum from Iran. Living in asylum accommodation, the family were adjusting to an unfamiliar environment while managing significant health and wellbeing challenges.

Leila lives with Type 1 Diabetes and uses a continuous glucose monitor to manage her condition. Alongside the practical demands of her health needs, the disruption of displacement and limited opportunities for everyday childhood activities began to affect her confidence and emotional wellbeing. She spent long periods indoors, with few personal belongings or activities to bring comfort or joy.

Working in partnership with Alliance for Better Care, we were able to provide vital support at a crucial time. Through the provision of high-quality, pre-loved clothes, toys and activity sets, Leila received age-appropriate items that reflected her interests and helped her feel more like herself. This support had an immediate and visible impact on her confidence and mood, playing an important role in improving her wellbeing during a period of uncertainty and transition. By restoring comfort, confidence and a sense of normality, it helped her feel valued, supported and cared for when it mattered most.

* Names changed to protect privacy.

The post Supporting Leila appeared first on Stripey Stork.

More than a gift bag

Our community, once again, came together by donating brand new toiletries and gifts, which helped us create our orange gift bags. Each mum receives one of these bags filled with carefully chosen pampering treats, along with a handwritten card. The bags also contained lovely extras such as notepads and pens, fluffy socks, and other small gifts to bring an extra touch of comfort and thoughtfulness. While the bag itself may be simple, the thought behind it carries real meaning. For those who receive one, it’s a rare moment where someone has thought just about them. The handwritten message adds a personal touch, reminding them that they are seen, appreciated and worthy of kindness.

This campaign is entirely driven by donations, and thanks to the generosity of our supporters we have been able to provide 733 gift bags to mums and female carers across Surrey and Croydon this year. Every bag is the result of a community coming together to help ensure more mums feel special on Mother’s Day.

For the mums and female carers who receive them, these small orange bags often mean far more than we might expect. They are a reminder that someone is thinking of them and that their role as a parent is recognised and appreciated. Feedback from West Thornton Primary School highlights just how meaningful these gifts can be. One parent shared,

I have never received a gift from my daughter. I feel so touched that I am able to have my first gift – it means so much to me.

Another said,

Thank you so much for the amazing wellness gift. I can’t believe I have received a gift from my son – I feel blessed.

For one mum, receiving a gift from her son was not only brought her some joy but was also something positive for her son to do.

I just wanted to get in touch to thank you for helping our son organise a Mother’s Day present for me. He was so proud to give me something on Sunday. It was a really special moment and wonderful to feel appreciated. Thank you so much for doing something so unexpectedly positivefor our family.

Messages like these show that something as simple as a small bag of pampering treats and a handwritten card can create a powerful moment of joy, helping parents feel valued and celebrated on Mother’s Day.

A community effort

Many supporters dropped off donations directly to our warehouse, bringing items along to their volunteering sessions, adding them to other donations or even making a special trip just to contribute to the campaign. Our Amazon Wish List proved again to be a convenient way for individuals to support the campaign. These individual acts of kindness all added up to something truly special.

We are also incredibly grateful to the many schools and nurseries that organised collections for us. A huge thank you to the parents and carers at Banstead Prep School, First Steps Nursery Merstham, Micklefield School Reigate, The Priory School Dorking, Powell Corderoy Primary School, and Reigate Parish Primary School, who together donated a fantastic number of items to help fill our gift bags.

Community groups also got involved. Thank you to the 5th Reigate Guides, Godstone Baptist Church and The Bookham Bees WI for their brilliant collections and for encouraging their members to support the campaign.

Support from local business and partners

Local businesses stepped up too. In Coulsdon, the window of Walter & Mair Estate Agents became something rather special. The team asked their local community to bring donations for our A Gift For Mum campaign to their office. In return, they would add the name of a mum or special person to their Mother’s Day window display. It was a simple but meaningful idea that brought the community together while supporting mums in our community.

Our friends at Celtic Contractors, long-time supporters of Stripey Stork, once again contributed some wonderful donations. Alligator Pear in Tadworth generously donated a large box of beautiful items for us to include.

The Surrey County Council’s Women’s Staff Network organised a collection at their offices as part of their International Women’s Day celebrations and dropped off a fantastic selection of items at our warehouse.

We were also delighted to receive fantastic support once again from two of our corporate partners. LNRS and Unum not only donated items but also used an in-house volunteering session to help pack 237 gift bags and handwrite cards, adding that extra special personal touch. Lactalis organised a collection at their office and donated several large bags of items, which were packed into gift bags ready to be delivered.

Our team always find this session very rewarding, knowing that the gift they carefully wrap or card they write will remind someone that they are seen and valued, when they might otherwise feel forgotten on Mother’s Day.

Tamsin Dixon, Community Relations Manager LNRS

Powered by volunteers

As always this campaign wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of our volunteers. This campaign is always a team effort and our corporate volunteers have worked alongside our regular Team Stork volunteers to ensure that every bag was thoughtfully packed and ready for delivery.

Every donation, collection and act of support has helped make this campaign possible, ensuring that more mums and female carers receive a small reminder that they are valued and thought of.

Finally, we wish all the mums and female carers we support a very happy Mother’s Day.

The post Helping Mums Feel Celebrated This Mother’s Day appeared first on Stripey Stork.

Hollie first encountered Stripey Stork at a cost-of-living event run by a local family centre. There she was given two of our age-specific activity packs, made by our volunteer team, which are filled with a selection of games, stationery, crafts, self-care items and activities to keep young minds busy.

At the time, Hollie was a single parent to a primary-age son and a teenage daughter. Her daughter, who lives with ASD and anxiety, was out of school, learning at home and facing a long wait for a suitable school place. This meant Hollie was unable to work, and as they were at home together every day, she was facing increasing bills for heating and food. Hollie focused on supporting her daughter. Despite their efforts, being away from friends and peers was very isolating, so the young girl was delighted to find the activity pack we provided was full of many of the things she loves to do, which made her feel cared for, and understood. “It was like it was made for me!,” she told us.

Seeing what an impact this unexpected gift had on her daughter, Hollie reached out to us to let us know. She said that it was clear to her and to both of her children that the packs were made with love.

Their eyes lit up. They’d never had something given to them where it was so clear, someone had really thought about what THEY need.

For Hollie, it was also an unexpected lift

Like a random act of kindness that day. It was unexpected, I didn’t know there was a service that gave out things like that. It made me feel like… Yes, this is going to really help me.

Her younger son also enjoyed exploring his pack. He isn’t a fan of puzzles, so when he discovered one of those in the bag, he chose to pass that on to a neighbour who had been unwell and in and out of hospital recently. We loved hearing about his decision to ‘pay it forward’ with his own act of kindness.

As a result of Hollie reaching out, we were able to give her more information about support available from Stripey Stork, and how to access it. She had been worrying about the rising cost of living, and how it was going to affect her children, so it was a relief to know there are places she could turn for help with clothing and school supplies as her children grew.

I used to be able to keep a little money aside for emergencies,” she told us. “That doesn’t happen now. The gas and electric keep going off, and everything costs more. It’s so hard to find enough money for what the kids need.

It can be difficult to ask for help for your family, or to explain the extent of the challenges you are facing. Hollie told us

It’s especially hard in Surrey, because it’s thought of as quite an affluent area.

Recent evidence that child poverty is rising in some areas of Surrey shows that the impression of Surrey as an ‘affluent county’ is not the lived reality for many children and families. Our own work, and the stories we hear, confirm this.

It can be hard to know where to start to get help when you are not already receiving support from health or social care professionals. Our ‘get help’ page can help to explain the process.

After speaking to us, Hollie and her daughter offered to give some feedback on some of our teen packs, and our service. Shortly after that, she became a member of our advisory panel, using her lived experience to help us help others.

When I was offered the opportunity to join the Advisory Panel, I felt honoured. I already loved the organisation’s values and the way they genuinely help families.

In 2023, Hollie was with us when we welcomed presenter Charlotte Hawkins to our warehouse as part of the Baby Bank On Us campaign, and spoke openly about her experience in the national news.

Her journey then came full circle in 2024, when she went on to work for a parent wellbeing service, where she regularly referred families to Stripey Stork. She describes the experience of being able to help other parents.

It felt deeply important, to understand “it’s ok not be ok sometimes” and help remove shame that’s embedded in some families. I understood exactly what those families were going through because I had been there myself.

Today, as well as serving on our advisory panel, Hollie is part of the Domestic Abuse Surrey Expert by Experience Network (DA Seen), and through a referral to us, helped to support survivors with specially designed trauma care packs. She is completing her University degree, and volunteers with us regularly in the warehouse, making up bundles for children and families. Her daughter, now 17, comes in with her, and they are both enjoying being part of the team.

Coming into the warehouse to volunteer, with my daughter by my side, has been especially powerful. Seeing the love and care that goes into every referral shows how deeply Stripey Stork values families. It is not just about items, it is about dignity, compassion, and community.

We’re so grateful to Hollie and her family for sharing their experiences with us, encouraging other families to ask for help, and for helping us show the impact of the funding and donations provided by the community who support us, too.

Do you have a family feedback story to share? Get in touch with us by emailing communications@stripeystork.org.uk.

The post Hollie’s Story – Full Circle appeared first on Stripey Stork.

But something children love and value so deeply can quietly become a source of pressure for parents.

When money is tight, a costume, however simple, is another cost to find. We hear from our referral partners about children who would rather stay off school than stand out because they don’t have a costume like everyone else. No child should feel excluded from a day that is meant to celebrate reading and belonging.

Costumes are not an ’essential’ like a cot or pram, and they are not a core part of our work, but because dressing-up items often arrive in donations alongside toys and clothes, we keep them. We store them carefully for moments like this, so that when a request comes in, we can respond.

And this is where our volunteer Lottie comes in.

Lottie has taken real care with our World Book Day packs. She doesn’t simply pull a costume from a box. She thoughtfully matches outfits with the right books, adds accessories wherever she can, and creates complete little story sets. Each pack feels considered and personal. It turns a donated costume into something special. Something that says to a child, you matter, and you deserve to take part.

That ability to be responsive and flexible and to meet needs as they arise is only possible because of Team Stork. Because of the donations we receive. Because of the volunteers who sort, store and prepare items with such care. Because our shelves are stocked, we can say yes when a referral partner gets in touch.

If you would like to support our work, the best place to start is our online wishlist. It is always up to date with the items families need most. From time to time, we will make specific seasonal call-outs, so do keep an eye on our social media channels.

Every donation helps us do what we do best: remove barriers, reduce stress, and make sure children can feel confident, included and ready to learn on World Book Day and every day.

The post Celebrating World Book Day with Stripey Stork appeared first on Stripey Stork.

In this blog we highlight the partnership that we’ve built with Therfield school in Leatherhead. They first referred to us in March 2025 and since then we have supported 274 families with essential items, school uniform and Christmas presents. Over the past year this partnership has continued to grow, with students choosing to support Stripey Stork through their annual RAG week.

We asked a senior leader at Therfield School what this partnership means to them.

At Therfield School we are really proud of the relationship we have built with Stripey Stork since March 2025. When I first visited the Stripey Stork warehouse in Reigate I was absolutely blown away by the scale of the organisation and the wonderful things they were doing for the community.

We have since developed a brilliant partnership and we are really proud to have raised over £2500 for Stripey Stork through non-uniform days, our RAG week and our recent Battle of the Bands event. Stripey Stork have helped some of our most vulnerable families during some of their most challenging moments, including providing hygiene packs, clothing packs and winter warmer packs for families in need. Our students (and their mums!) absolutely loved the Mother’s Day gift bags we were able to provide them with, these were such high quality, full of beautiful luxury bath products, our students were really proud to be able to gift them. One of our mums said: I just wanted to pass on my enormous thanks for the kind and lovely gesture. The gifts were such a wonderful surprise and the card a really lovely touch. The wonderful products were items that I as a Mum wouldn’t ordinarily purchase for myself and were so gratefully received, I felt so very lucky.

The Christmas campaign, Santa Stork, was equally successful, we were able to provide high-quality gifts for some of our most disadvantaged students to take home, we supported them with wrapping them in school. It really meant a lot for them to be able to gift their brothers and sisters with presents they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford, whilst making sure they got something too! Stripey Stork have also provided all of our disadvantaged students with rucksacks full of stationery which have supported them with being prepared for school and eased the financial cost for families of replacing equipment or purchasing it in the first place.

Our partnership with Stripey Stork means that when something goes wrong for one of our families, or they are in need of a little bit more support, we have a clear pathway and a first port of call to go to for additional help. This isn’t something that we had previously – so we are extremely grateful for Stripey Stork’s work and the dedication of their workers and volunteers. Thank you, from the entire Therfield School community.

It’s incredibly encouraging to see young people developing an understanding of the challenges faced within their communities and choosing to take action to support them. The Sixth Form’s annual RAG week is a brilliant example of this in action. Through their creativity, energy and enthusiasm, students raised vital funds for Stripey Stork, helping us provide essential items to families facing hardship across Surrey and Croydon. Some of the highlights included a bake sale, the teacher lip sync battle, student talent show and the RAG concert.

Their fundraising makes a real and lasting difference, and we’re hugely grateful for their compassion, commitment and community spirit.

Could your school support us with fundraising events?

We’d love to hear from any schools interested in fundraising for Stripey Stork. Whether it’s a non-uniform day, a sponsored challenge, a RAG week or something completely different, your support helps us continue providing essential items to families across Surrey and Croydon. Every fundraiser, big or small, makes a real difference. Visit our website for details.

Are you a teacher or school staff, who wants to support students in hardship with practical items?

We provide practical support to families across Surrey and Croydon, helping them access essential items such as school uniforms, clothing, toiletries and equipment. Our aim is to make getting help simple and stress-free, ensuring families can focus on what matters most while we step in to provide the items they need, when they need them. As a member of staff you can easily make a referral to us on behalf of a family. Details on how to refer to us are on our website.

The post Therfield School Partnership appeared first on Stripey Stork.

For many children, not having the right uniform, shoes, backpack, stationery or PE kit can make school a daily challenge. It can mean standing out for the wrong reasons, missing out on activities or experiencing bullying and stigma. These are barriers no child should face.

We aim to removes those barriers. By providing the essentials, we help children feel like they belong, boost confidence in the classroom and allow them to focus on learning.

Increased support in 2025

As demand grew, we supported 7,503 children across 4,116 families. Our 2025 support included:

• 21,170 items of school uniform
• 2,567 filled school bags
• 3,648 pairs of school shoes/trainers

School uniform remains one of the most requested forms of support, helping children to attend school feeling included and ready to learn. This year, we provided:

• 3,538 polo shirts
• 3,971 pairs of trousers
• 2,479 skirts and pinafores
• 3,460 shirts
• over 1,000 jumpers

Each of our school bags is thoughtfully prepared and filled with the essentials children need, including a water bottle, notebook, pens and pencils, colouring supplies, highlighter pens, an eraser, ruler, pencil sharpeners, a pencil case and an activity or puzzle book. Secondary school bags also include a scientific calculator and maths set.

This year, we provided

• 177 pre-school bags
• 722 infant school bags
• 1,011 junior school bags
• 657 senior school bags
• 611 lunchboxes and PE bags

Our long-term local charity partner, Sal’s Shoes, once again helped ensure children could start school in well-fitted, suitable footwear by providing brand-new school shoes and trainers. Having the right shoes can make a huge difference to a child’s comfort, confidence and ability to fully take part in the school day.

This year, we distributed

• 1,346 pairs of trainers
• 2,302 pairs of school shoes

The difference this support makes

Our partners see first-hand what happens when children don’t have the essentials they need for school and the difference that timely support can make.

Without this provision, 60% of partners felt families would have gone without some items altogether or been forced into debt to cover the cost and half believed children would have had to attend school with unsuitable items. As one partner shared:

The parent would have had to borrow money from family, or not pay their bills, to afford the uniform.

The impact of receiving support goes far beyond practical items. 75% of partners told us it had a significant impact on children’s wellbeing and sense of inclusion.

That confidence carries into the classroom. 82% of partners felt the support contributed very significantly or quite a lot to children’s school engagement and attendance.

Perhaps most powerfully, the benefits are felt across the whole household. 92% of partners said parental or carer worry was reduced, 55% said families could redirect limited resources to other essentials and 75% reported children were happier and more confident.

Reaching more families, in more ways

As demand for School Days continued to grow, so did the way we delivered support. This year, deliveries became an even more vital part of how we reached families. In 2024, we delivered School Days referrals to 1,792 families; in 2025, that number rose to 2,746 families, supporting 4,509 children. By delivering directly, we saved our referral partners valuable time and costs, helping them support as many families as needed without additional pressure.

We also expanded our pop-up shop model where families had the chance to attend in person, try on items and choose what each child needed. Stock was delivered in advance and any surplus collected to prevent waste.

In 2025, we supported 14 pop-up events across 7 primary schools, 1 secondary school, and community settings including baby banks, foodbanks, a community hub and a mental health and wellbeing centre.

Powered by volunteers

School Days wouldn’t be possible without our incredible volunteers, who give their time, energy and care to support children in our community. Throughout the year, regular volunteers and corporate groups helped sort pre-loved uniform, make up referrals and prepare school bags. One volunteer said:

Just blown away by the scale of the need in the local community. The work Stripey Stork do is amazing!

We were proud to involve young people too, from Duke of Edinburgh participants to students from Woodfield School, offering supported volunteering that builds skills and confidence. Local schools also joined in – notably Reigate Grammar School, which celebrated its 350th anniversary by pledging 350 school bags and spending a day volunteering.

In total, volunteers contributed 2,747 hours to School Days in 2025, helping clean, check, sort, and pack items and supporting referral partners, ensuring thousands of children start school ready, confident, and included.

Strengthening support through schools

In 2025, we worked more closely with schools and their staff to make sure families facing hardship could access the practical support they needed. With the cost-of-living crisis putting pressure on households and other support services stretched thin, schools were often the first to spot children struggling.

We received referrals from 144 schools, up from 86 in 2024, and supported 3,829 families via schools, compared to 1,917 the previous year.

Alongside this, our donation drives collected high-quality, pre-loved school uniform from families, schools, PTAs and community groups. Many schools have more unbranded stock than they can sell or store. Through School Days, these items were repurposed, helping children start school fully equipped while reducing waste.

Moving forward

With your continued help, we can ensure that even more children walk through the school gates feeling confident, included and ready to thrive.

There are lots of ways you can support the School Days campaign including;

• Donating your pre-loved uniform. We accept donations of preloved and new non-branded school uniform of any colour, PE and swim kit, and brand new backpacks and stationery. A full list of items we can accept, and how to donate, can be found here.
• Organising a collection of uniform. Please get in touch with us if your school, PTA or community group would like to collect uniform. Email school@stripeystork.org.uk.
• Making a cash donation. This helps us to provide some of the items that need to be bought new, and to meet special requests, for example for adaptive uniform.
• Holding a stationery donation drive. This is a great way for your school, business or community group to support the campaign. Please get in touch with school@stripeystork.org.uk if you’d like help with a poster or any more information about doing this.

If you are a professional working with families who need support with school essentials, please see our referrals page.

The post School Days 2025 appeared first on Stripey Stork.

The report includes regional data, as well as trends around child poverty, and summarises the difficulties faced by children in low-income families in the UK.

The long-term data shows clear differences in how poverty affects different groups. Children have consistently faced the highest poverty rates of any age group, and this gap has widened again in recent years. After falling in the early 2000s, child poverty rose from the early 2010s onwards, dipped briefly during the pandemic, and has since climbed to its highest level in over a decade (31% in 2023/24).

The report also shows that more people than ever are now classed as being in ‘deep poverty’ – meaning their annual household incomes don’t meet the cost of essentials. Or as The Guardian puts it, ‘the poorest families are getting poorer’.

Child poverty remains high, at 4.5 million children.

The report describes families with children as being a group facing ‘unacceptably high’ levels of poverty. Children in single parent families, larger families, and those with disabilities are still disproportionately affected, and more families than the previous year are now in ‘deep poverty’, with an income far below the poverty line where they could access a reasonable standard of living. Although recent announcements of changes to the 2 Child Benefit limit are welcome and are expected to have an impact in the future, this will take years – the change is forecast to only reduce the number of children in poverty to 4 million, by around 2030. And with nearly 70% of families referred to us having 1 or 2 children, there will be no change for the majority of the demographic we support.

Child poverty in areas of Surrey and Croydon is rising.

England still has the highest child poverty rate of all the UK (31%). The South East has an overall poverty rate of 19%, and London of 26%.

Here, we can examine at constituency level the rates of child poverty in any area: https://www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-statistics/geography.

Though this is by no means the only indicator of need, below are some of the child poverty estimated rates for some of the key areas we work in, compared to the report released last year.

While these numbers are lower than some areas of the country, they are still worryingly high. These seemingly small percentages still represent thousands of children in poverty. For areas that are seen as affluent, where it is possible to achieve a very high standard of living, it can still be difficult to ‘see’ the true picture of life in poverty for those whose standards of living are far lower (and some of the families we help tell us that this stigma can be a barrier to them getting help). Poverty exists everywhere, and in some areas of Surrey (at a more local level than the data above) we see higher levels of deprivation: Surrey data confirms that there are neighbourhoods within the most deprived 20% of England, and a further 22 among the most deprived 30%. Behind the data, are families like this one, with few belongings, moved suddenly to new accommodation, and unable to keep warm.

Our continued commitment to families in poverty.

We know that the need for our service remains significant, and the data just reinforces the attention we’re paying to delivering more in areas like Spelthorne and Woking. In Croydon, where we have been focusing our efforts on increasing provision, we can see there are real increases in need that mean we must continue to do what we can as a service to connect and provide there.

With the cost of living, lack of affordable housing, childcare and other significant financial challenges still ongoing, we know that our service will continue to be a lifeline for families and the partners who support them. We also remember that there are many families who may not – on paper – meet the definition of poverty that data like this report examines, but still face hardship. Some for a short time, some for the long term, and as we are here for them now, so we want to be there for every family who will need us over the coming years.

Your support is invaluable in helping us to do that. You can help by donating your pre-loved items, making a financial donation or fundraising for us. Every donation makes a real difference to a family.

The post New annual poverty data highlights continued need for our service appeared first on Stripey Stork.

The first time I received help from Stripey Stork, I had a very young baby, and my partner was really unwell and unable to work. We were surviving on very little income, and had debt.

Initially, I received a cot, a mattress, a high chair, and baby clothes. As time went on, there were other things I needed, and was able to get. My daughter is now four years old, and whenever I’ve asked for help I’ve always been answered. I’ve also received help without having to ask for it in the form of Mother’s Day gift bags, for example.

Without this support, I would have suffered worrying, spending hours on Facebook marketplace or Gumtree, even looking on the streets, trying to find free things. And we would have gone without. I would have ended up co-sleeping with my daughter and partner, which I was worried would not be safe as he was on heavy medication at the time.

Later, when I had to start again as a single parent, finances were really tight. I would not have been able to get the things my daughter needed – like things to support potty training, clothes for nursery and then uniform for school.

Initially I found it very difficult to ask for help – I didn’t know you needed a referral and I’d never had to access any charity or help before. It was because I spoke to my health visitor that I found out that she could put in a referral for me. She was so sweet, and picked up all of the stuff and carried it up two flights of steps for me! Now I know more about Stripey Stork I know that I have no reason to be scared to ask for help and I’m more likely to actually ask for what I need and to not be afraid.

I was encouraged to access support when I was in the process of sorting out a lot of worries – credit card debt and life admin that had all built up and needed addressing. At first this felt like another thing, another duck I had to put in a row, but it felt good to be proven wrong in that – my demons said I’m going to get laughed at or demonised for asking for help, but I wasn’t, I was encouraged, and congratulated and so this actually helped me to keep opening my letters, sorting out my life admin and getting my ducks in a row.

I’ve also had the opportunity to help Stripey Stork by becoming a member of their Advisory Panel. I enjoy getting involved, whether that’s with a feedback meeting or speaking at the opening of their new warehouse last summer – it has helped me with confidence with public speaking, with meeting people – particularly people in positions of power. In those moments I’ve felt heard, validated, and like a worthy human.

Stripey Stork have such a good understanding of families’ situations, how hardship and people’s needs are changeable – they know that sometimes that means moving in an emergency, sometimes that means asking for more than one clothing package, and sometimes that means asking for presents for Christmas.

If there’s anyone out there reading this and wondering, I need this support, the best advice I can give is, ask for help. There’s a lot of strength in vulnerability. When you start opening your post, emails and getting your life admin in order, and you find out about routes to support like this and realise they’re really quite straightforward, life gets a lot brighter, but its baby steps – you don’t live your life all at once, it’s moment by moment.

It might feel like you have absolutely nothing and have nowhere else to go or no way of helping your family, and then Stripey Stork can turn around and say here, here’s a brand new cot, or there’s a toilet training kit and a potty. They always try to go above and beyond, and try and catch you if you fall. They help you carry those heavy everyday paving slabs that you take every step with – the worries that are always with you when you’re in poverty – issues like buying new school shoes or spare uniform, like giving you toys that have new batteries in them ( ‘cause batteries are expensive!) You’re treated with such dignity and kindness. It helps you hold your chin up so you can look forward.

If Yssy’s story resonates with you, please know that you’re not alone, and support is available. We works with professionals, who can make referrals quickly and simply, to provide essential items and practical help to parents and carers who need it. You can find out more about how to access support and how to get a referral by visiting the help page on our website.

The post Yssy’s Story appeared first on Stripey Stork.

How does it work?

Sharegift specialise in accepting small shareholdings that would cost more to sell than they are worth, generating substantial funding for charities like us. They also accept larger donations of shares.

Simply mention Stripey Stork when you make your gift.

Who are ShareGift?

ShareGift is an independent UK registered charity (No.1052686) which specialises in releasing the money locked up in small shareholdings, but accept donations of any size. ShareGift works by collecting together small lots of shares until there are enough to sell and then donating the resulting proceeds to a wide range of charities.

To date ShareGift has donated over £60million and supported thousands of charities, and last year we were delighted that they chose to support our work.

ShareGift make their grants based upon a variety of factors including the suggestions of their donors. You can help support our work by donating any size of shareholdings you may have to ShareGift and mentioning Stripey Stork.

Simply visit www.sharegift.org or reach out to the team on 020 7930 3737 or help@sharegift.org.

You can continue to support our work in many ways including donating your pre-loved items, making a financial donation or by taking a look at the many other ways to donate.

The post Turn your unused shares into support for Stripey Stork appeared first on Stripey Stork.

This situation was the result of the family having No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), leaving them with very limited access to financial support. Living in Banstead with their two young sons aged two and a half and 18 months, the family also faced significant language barriers – with English as an additional language, navigating services and understanding professional roles was incredibly challenging,  and they often relied on translation apps to communicate. .

Alongside these difficulties, the family was dealing with some serious health concerns. The eldest child has craniosynostosis, a condition that affects the development of the bones in the skull, and had recently undergone major surgery. Mum also had some ongoing health issues linked to both pregnancies, which were further impacting her physical and emotional wellbeing.

Lori from the Early Support Service team at Surrey County Council, who was supporting the family, saw just how exhausted and overwhelmed they were when she first met them. Recognising the urgency of the situation, she reached out to Stripey Stork for a care package. The aim was simple but vital: to ensure each member of the family had their own toothbrush so they no longer had to share. Knowing the wide range of items we provide, Lori also requested clothing and toys for the children, which our volunteers were happy to pack up with care.

The impact was immediate, and moving. The children were so delighted to have their own toothbrushes that Mum had to hide them, so they didn’t constantly play with them – a small but powerful moment that showed how much these everyday items mattered. The toys were also a hit, with the children eagerly taking them out one by one and starting to play straight away. Although the family finds it difficult to engage fully with services due to language and confidence barriers, their gratitude was unmistakable, with big smiles all round.

Since receiving support, Lori is pleased to report that further positive progress has taken place. Mum’s trust in getting help has gradually grown, and she now engages more openly and confidently. She has taken the step of asking about dental care for the children, something that would have felt too challenging and complex just a few weeks ago.

For professionals like Lori, who work closely with families facing multiple challenges, having access to a service like Stripey Stork is invaluable. When statutory services are stretched and families are excluded from public funding, timely, practical and flexible support can make the difference between a situation worsening or beginning to stabilise.

Reflecting on the impact of this support, Lori shared:

The care packages you provide bring so much joy, comfort, and dignity to families who are facing incredibly difficult circumstances. From essential items to toys and clothing, your support makes a real and lasting difference. The smiles on children’s faces and the relief felt by parents speak volumes about the impact of your kindness. Your dedication truly changes lives.

This work is only possible because of the generosity of our supporters and funders. Every donated item, every hour volunteered and every pound given helps ensure families like this one don’t have to go without the basics and that children can experience moments of joy, comfort and normality, even during the hardest of times. If you would like to donate to Stripey Stork and help us to provide brand new toiletries to families like this one, you can make a financial donation. Thank you.

The post Sharing a Toothbrush: A glimpse into hidden hardship appeared first on Stripey Stork.