Firstly, we’d like to wish every single Mum a very Happy Mother’s Day. We hope that today of all days you are feeling the love and appreciation for the amazing job you do every day of the year.
It’s thanks to our annual Mother’s Day campaign that 565 local Mums in need will certainly be feeling the love on this special day.
A gift bag full of pamper treats and a handwritten card will have lovingly been presented to them this morning by the little person/people in their life. Hopefully it will give Mum the excuse she needs to grab some much-needed ‘me time’, but it’s the gesture rather than the gift itself which is the most precious gift of all. A gesture which says my children recognise all I do for them, the community we live in cares and we are not alone when support such as this exists.
In these turbulent times, being a parent is a more worrying time than ever. When life wasn’t going your way before the coronavirus crisis hit, matters have become a hundred times worse for many of the families we are supporting right now. With little or no financial fallback and no family to lean on for emotional support, it’s a lonely place. We know our service is needed more than ever with the new challenges this pandemic brings. But, we are grateful that today, thanks to our invaluable Mum2Mum campaign, we’ve been able to shine a little more light in these uncertain times.
As one referral said in her expression of thanks:
“…through yours and your supporters’ generosity, we were able to spread some cheer to Mums who so desperately needed a lift. I can say that each of them was chuffed and overwhelmed that a complete stranger thought of them. As this virus spreads this couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time.”
We also had some lovely feedback from a referral partner after delivering some packs:
“All three mothers I handed the bags out to were overwhelmed, very grateful and tearful and two responded with big hugs. None of these people have any support in their life and all are parenting challenging situations and children alone. Without these gifts they would not have been remembered on Mother’s Day. Thank you so much on their behalf.”
The Mums we support come from such varying backgrounds and circumstances – surviving domestic abuse, grieving the loss of their partner, unable to work due to sickness/being a full time carer, a single parent on low income, a new Mum in hospital scared for her premature baby, or an unexpected change in circumstance which has sent them below the poverty line, the list goes on… Whatever the situation, they didn’t choose this life, they don’t want to ask for help and they deserve better. They are all Mums muddling through as best they can, they just need a helping hand right now, more than ever.
We have the following to thank for their special contribution in ensuring that no Mum on our list has been forgotten this Mother’s Day:
- Our amazing volunteers who so lovingly put the packs together and included a handwritten card with their own words of encouragement.
- Our referral partners for looking after the Mums on their caseloads so well, and coordinating the ordering and collection of gifts.
- Everyone who purchased items from our Amazon wish list, made an online donation, organised collections amongst friends or dropped gifts at our warehouse.
- Jurlique for thinking of the Mums we support in their donation of beautiful skincare products.
- Beauty Banks for the bulk donation of quality beauty and pamper products. They’ve made lovely additions to our packs, particularly the Nuxe skincare range items, such a treat!
- The Hygiene Bank who arranged a bulk delivery of pamper toiletries.
- Tropic Skincare for donating products from their beautiful range for this campaign and all your round.
- Fishers Farm Park and First Steps Nursery for organising their own gift collection between staff and customers – the products were beautiful, we appreciate all their support.
- Ali, one of our supporters, who was able to buy a selection of discounted toiletry products from the Unilever staff shop. We were able to use funds from the Manor Avenue Christmas lights display in Caterham to go towards these purchases, so thank you once again to the Gould family.
- Natural Baby Shower for donating 1% of online sales on Mother’s Day to best support the work which we do.
- Nicola B for designing our exclusive and fabulous Mother’s Day charity card this year, and offering to sell them at some local events where she had a stall.
- All local card selling outlets – Gerrards in Reigate / Muffin Break and Wacky Kingdom in the Belfry in Redhill / Natural Baby Shower in Bagshot.
- Reigate Grange for selling cards to their staff and resident families.
- Reed Business Information for inviting us to sell cards during their lunch break.
- The children from Reigate St Mary’s School who organised the selling of cards in sessions before and after school.
Thank you #TeamStork – you’ve done it again!
