It was the end of a busy week at the office when the post arrived one Friday before Christmas 2018. We opened a Christmas card and a crisp ten pound note fell out. The handwritten message inside stopped us in our tracks:

“Dear Stripy Stork
Thank you for all the help you have given me and my baby. Last year I was in a bad place and was dreading Christmas. I had no family, no presents and tried to pretend it wasn’t happening. My support worker got me some things from you and I am so greatful (sic). I didn’t realise how important it was to give my son a gift. When he opened the Frozen snowman toy and I saw his face I felt like a proper mum for the first time ever. I started to get things sorted in January and got a new job in the summer. I made a promise that this year I would support what you do at Christmas. So here is £10. I hope it makes another mum feel like I did. Thank you for all you do.”

Wow. What an incredible thing for this mum to do. The Santa Stork gift of last year – an Olaf teddy donated by In Kind Direct – had such an impact that she was paying that kindness forward. We couldn’t be more grateful.

A year on and this family are in a better position but we know there are hundreds of parents and carers in our community feeling exactly like she did – dreading Christmas and wishing it wasn’t going to happen – because they can’t provide a few simple gifts for their children to open on Christmas morning.

That’s what Santa Stork is all about – you can read all about our annual Christmas campaign here in our blog.

“I hope it makes another mum feel like I did.”

See Santa Stork page for details of how to help this year’s campaign.

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One of our referral sources visited us and asked for some items for a little boy and his Mum. The boy was about to celebrate his 5th Birthday and the Mum had no means to provide him with any gifts. Recently fleeing a very violent relationship, the focus up until this point had been on safety rather than celebrations.

Whilst Mum’s request was very modest, we wanted to ensure this little boy had a special day. We keep boxes of new items in our toy area. They’re often gifts donated to us by families who know how lucky their own children have been at Birthday time and want those items to be shared with others.

Quickly we’d accumulated a bag of brand new toys, stationery, a jigsaw and a lovely teddy. We also included one of the #Bags4School. It featured the Minions on the front and the referral source explained that the boy loved Minions and how happy this would make him.

And of course because we’re Stripey Stork that wasn’t enough. We found a roll of wrapping paper and some tape so that mum could wrap the gifts herself. And we added a few special treats for her too.

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“I went to visit with him last week and he showed me his room. He has nothing in it except for a little rucksack which he packs a few clothes in for his stay each week.”

This came from a request we received from a Social Worker we work with regularly. She was supporting a 10-year-old-boy from a family with a history of domestic abuse and chronic neglect. The boy is at a boarding school and loves it there. It’s calmer, he gets more rest and he is flourishing.

But he had so little in his room. Nothing to show who he is and what he is interested in, and it’s not a room to proudly let friends come and hang out.

We set to work. This case had an impact on us so we found out a little more about this boy. Thanks to our amazing supporters we quickly gathered clothes, toys, books, toiletries, Lego, a new desk lamp and bedding for his room and we even supplied a reconditioned iPad mini. The son of one of our trustees – a boy of the same age – found posters and trading cards from his own collection which featured this boy’s favourite football team and asked for them to be passed on.

Genuine kindness in action.

We caught up with the Social Worker afterwards who was able to give us an update.

“He was so thrilled with all the things he received and his bedroom at boarding school is now looking very homely.

His response when he saw the iPad was lovely but the thing that won him over the most was ‘his very own dressing gown!’ He told me that he had never had one before and that he was looking forward to having a shower that night and wearing it from the bathroom to his bedroom!

I have seen him several times since passing on the items and he is making good use of everything.”

Something so simple as a dressing gown having such an impact. Imagine.

Thank you for trusting us to find the right home for your donations #TeamStork. Operating the way we do we’re able to direct the right items to the right places, and we ensure that it’s almost always more than just the essentials.

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Imagine having to tell your children that they won’t be receiving any presents at Christmas. No presents at all.
Children still in Junior school who wouldn’t have stories to share about the presents they received when they went back after the holidays.

That was the reality for a local family being supported by one of our referral sources back in 2017. A family who wished that they didn’t need the support of Stripey Stork and our Santa Stork campaign but who sadly did. When talking to Mum about gift choices for the children she only mentioned two of her children:

“I’ve already told the older ones they won’t be getting anything this year” she explained sadly.

But we were able to help thanks to your support, and requests for the whole family were added to our Santa Stork list.

It’s the reality of stories like this which make us realise how necessary our annual Christmas campaign is in bringing Christmas to as many local children in need as we can – regardless of age or circumstance!

See Santa Stork page for details of how to help this year’s campaign.

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At Stripey Stork we pack all the requests to order and pride ourselves with going the extra mile to find just the right items. This particular story is of a health visitor who asked us for a party dress for a 5-year-old-girl. She had started in Reception that year but Mum had admitted that she had been declining all the Birthday party invitations received as the little girl didn’t have the right clothes to wear. Mum didn’t want her to stand out and so it was easier just to decline.

Our founder Nicola Dawes’ daughter was of a similar age to this little girl, and remembers how sad she felt that she was missing out on all the fun and making new friends at such an important time.

The request was so easy for us to fulfil – we had a selection of lovely dresses, as well as sparkly shoes and even a few little bags – but the health visitor talked about how the social impact for this family would be significant.

We hope the little girl had lots of happy times in her dress, and is growing up to be the confident little girl that she should be.

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“When I approached Stripey Stork, the situation was urgent. One of my families were already being put through huge amounts of stress, and now needed to find a pushchair they would never be able to afford…”

Thankfully, a near-new condition Bugaboo Donkey pram system had been dropped off with Stripey Stork just days before. It had the basket already set-up, positioned alongside the cot, perfectly suited for carrying all the necessary medical equipment the family would need. Safety-checked, tested, and sent with love – the Stripey Stork volunteers could gift it to the CHAH team the same day!

“I was able to deliver the incredible pram the very next morning. The mum was so grateful, and amazed that another mum would give so generously to another family in need. On receipt of the pushchair, she turned to me and asked: what time will you collect it tomorrow? I then had the privilege of telling her, this as-new Bugaboo was hers to keep! It was a moment that will stay with me forever. It brought tears to my eyes, and hers.”

At Stripey Stork, confidentiality is of huge importance to the way we work. Which means often the families who donate will never get to know what happened to their once-loved baby and children’s things. In this case, we could update the donor on the new-life her pushchair was now having:

“Thank you so much for your lovely email update. It has moved me deeply. We really hope this lovely little baby gets better quickly and I am so happy to see the pram was of use to this family at a difficult time. Knowing where the pram has gone, truly puts things in perspective and adds another dimension to a simple action of passing items our family no longer need to your team. You are an amazing charity and we will always support you when we can.  Always!”

The kindness of donors will never go unnoticed, whether they get to hear the complete story of their donations or not. Donations of quality items are hugely valuable and assist babies and children with additional needs. A kind-hearted community of givers are changing the lives of local families with the simple act of recycling.

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I was supporting a family who were struggling with disability, ill health and debt. Mum felt burdened by her circumstances and resigned that life would always be difficult. A referral was made to Stripey Stork for all basic items which were promptly supplied along with some extra items for mum.

When I next visited I noticed that although the family had no storage that the clothing had been carefully folded and that several items had been washed and were hanging up to dry. Most importantly in a cold house the baby was warm and well-wrapped.

A year later and there has been a significant change in this family’s circumstances. Mum decided to leave the abusive relationship she was in, has started a part time job and is paying off her debts. Above all she smiles when I visit and her baby is happy and sociable. She lives in simple accommodation which she has made homely and her baby is meeting all developmental milestones.

It’s hard to say exactly what enabled this mum to turn her life round but I think the deliveries from Stripey Stork had a far bigger impact than just meeting a practical need.

“…for every family that Stripey Stork help there is an impact, even if it is just to ensure that the children are adequately clothed. I cannot tell you how humbling it is to be able to meet the needs of those for whom life has not been so fortunate. Stripey Stork are the most amazing charity who are making a real difference to people’s lives.”

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One family I came across were struggling in many ways. Mum was very low, in debt and in poor housing. She was overwhelmed by her circumstances and felt she couldn’t meet her children’s needs. They had no curtains, no bedding, inadequate clothing and morale was very low.

Above all she had no energy and nursery attendance for the children was poor. Consequently the children were unstimulated and had delayed development. As a result of all this Mum did not want the health visitor interfering in her life!

I made a referral to Stripey Stork and immediately received bedding and clothing. I had mentioned that the children had a long walk to nursery and two brightly coloured scooters appeared.

I delivered the items to mum, helped her make up the beds and left. When I returned a few weeks later I noticed the house was a little cleaner, the children were up and dressed in their newly acquired clothing, and mum was a little less hostile.

Fast forward a year down the line, the warm clothing and furry boots that were given and the scooters helped a great deal, their nursery attendance is now excellent. Mum has received several more items from Stripey Stork and has set about improving her housing herself. The children are well presented and mum talks animatedly about their progress. They are now well on their way to reaching their developmental milestones and demonstrate school readiness.

When I reflect on this case I know that giving the items had a far bigger impact than just addressing physical needs, it helped mum get back on her feet and strive to do her best for her children. It also made my job visiting a whole lot easier.

“These children are now thriving and I believe  Stripey Stork played their part in helping someone find the energy to turn a corner.”

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