Christmas giving with Choice, Dignity and Care
“He’s had a very tough year…” So began a request from one of the family centres we work with, on behalf of 6 year old B and his siblings. Like any typical 6 year old, B will be eagerly counting
If you are a family support worker and we are too away for you to collect from Reigate, please get in touch as we partner with other likeminded organisations across Surrey and may be able to use our distribution network to get the items closer to you.
We supply a mixture of new/good condition pre-loved baby/children’s items – clothing, toys, equipment, toiletries – from birth up to age 16. Stripey Stork operate on a referrals only basis, which means families can’t self-refer. We accept referrals from a wide range of organisations – social workers, health visitors, family centres, food banks, women’s refuges, teachers and nurses. If you are a family in need of help, please ask a support agency or family support worker to make a referral on your behalf. For example, your local family centre can refer you (find your nearest Surrey family centre by borough/district).
Our service is free of charge and there is no assessment criteria, however, items will need to be collected from our offices in Reigate by the referral partner. Most importantly, we are always quick to respond to the referrals we receive as we know all too well the urgency behind these requests.
1 You should use the online form here to make any referral request. You will need the following information:
2 You will receive a confirmation email once you have booked a collection slot. We will secondly, arrange a date/time for you to collect your items.
All referral requests that do not include school uniform will continue to be collected from our Reigate warehouse (term time only, between Monday to Thursday, 9:30am-1:30pm). Our storage space is limited so we appreciate arranging prompt collections. Please allow plenty of time to be shown how to assemble and operate the larger items, such as cots and prams.
School uniform referrals will be collected, by appointment, from Raven House, Linkfield Lane, Redhill, RH1 1SS.
3 Family support workers can join our Referrals mailing list and Referrals Facebook group to keep up-to-date with available items, referral news and, additionally, how our campaigns can help the families you support.
A rule which we live by at Stripey Stork is that our recipients should feel like they are receiving a gift and not a hand out. Therefore all of the pre-loved items we re-distribute are clean, stain-free and in good working order.
As well as our day-to-day operations, we are specifically well-placed in our community to undertake special projects as the need arises. See blog posts on our Bags4School, Easter Bags and Stork Sacks projects.
Our Christmas giving campaign distributes thousands of new gifts to children, giving local families in need the Christmas they deserve. It's always an amazing community effort.
Every year we ask our supporters to donate new pampering gifts sets, which our referral partners can request for Mums that they feel could do with a little boost or some recognition on Mother’s Day.
Sometimes the requests we receive go beyond the remit of our resources and capabilities, so here’s a useful list of other support services.
“He’s had a very tough year…” So began a request from one of the family centres we work with, on behalf of 6 year old B and his siblings. Like any typical 6 year old, B will be eagerly counting
Our focus is the Surrey region. If you are in a different region, see our map of UK baby banks to find one near you.