That’s 529 happier Mums who will receive an acknowledgement from their children on this special day – one which may not have been made possible if it wasn’t for this invaluable campaign.

This year we felt privileged to hear back from one of the Mums who had received a gift pack and wanted to express her gratitude in telling us what it meant to her. She had recently left an abusive relationship and had been pleasantly surprised when in the immediate days which followed, her local Children’s Centre had put her name forward for receiving a pack.

“I was quite tearful to receive such an amazing gift. As my daughter is only 3, I had come to the conclusion any Mother’s Day gifts I received would be ones I paid for. This just changed it all! Knowing there are people empathising with your struggles and offering kindness and support is just so uplifting and heart warming.”

The realisation for her that there are people out there offering support – helping to pick her up and encouraging her to stay strong with such moments of kindness, meant everything when she was at an all-time low. She also commented on the quality of the branded toiletries included and couldn’t wait to use them to help her relax after the hardest week.

We also had one Mum’s appreciation passed on via one of our referral partners, East Surrey Domestic Abuse Service (ESDA):

“Please pass on my thanks, it was such a joy opening the bag and seeing all the things. There were mini size creams of a brand I love which I can’t afford to buy. It was all absolutely lovely and I really appreciated it.”

We know that this is a campaign which resonates with so many of you. Whether that’s because you realise that being a Mum can be the hardest job in the world, and you understand that if everything else was stacked against you, how much harder it would be to keep your head above water.

Whether it’s because you’ve been at rock bottom and know what it’s like to be picked up by the kindness of others.

Or whether it’s because you feel strongly that no Mum should be forgotten – regardless of whether or not they have a partner or family support network to arrange such recognition.

Whatever the reason – please know that once again a difference has been made in our little corner of the world and that’s thanks to everyone involved. In particular, we’d like to say a special thank you to the following:

• Our lovely volunteers who so lovingly put the packs together and included a handwritten Mother’s Day card with their 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 or who dropped gifts off at the office.
• Becky Pearce Designs for donating 20% of the sales from two of her most popular necklaces, and for being our online Mother’s Day card shop.
• Doodlemoo for designing this year’s Stripey Stork Mother’s Day card. And to our local card sellers – Gerrards, The Reigate Pop-up Shop, Imagineville, TSB in the Belfry Shopping Centre, Redhill and The Peekaboo Café near Dorking.
• The Peanut App for including us in their #SantaIsAWoman campaign – we were able to save the more luxurious items to be included in our Mother’s Day packs which have been very well received.
• IHS Markit and esure for their gift donations and giving us the opportunity to sell cards during their lunch break.
• Tropics Skincare for donating products from their beautiful range for this campaign and all your round.
• The Hygiene Bank who arranged for us to collect a bumper collection of toiletries that were perfect as gifts.
• Outwood WI who organised a collection of items at one of their meetings and delivered it to us.
• The Natural Baby Shower for donating 1% of their sales this Mother’s Day to Stripey Stork, and for selling our charity cards in their Bagshot store.
• The Guilty Mummy for helping us to spread the word.

That just leaves one more thing to say – Happy Mother’s Day to all of the fantastic Mums out there! We hope you have a special day to remember, you deserve it!

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Many of the Mums that we help won’t receive a gift on 31st March. Mums without partners, friends or family to recognise the difficult but amazing job they’re doing. Mums who go without all year round to provide for their children. We want to let them know that they are doing a fantastic job and we are thinking of them – local families helping local families.

Mum to Mum.

Last year we provided 227 gifts for Mums (accompanied by a handwritten card designed for Stripey Stork) and this year we’re aiming for 300.

How you can help

Buy one of our exclusive Mother’s Day cards – This year we have teamed up with Emily, the local illustrator behind Doodlemoo, who has designed our very own Mother’s Day card. We just love her colourful and funky design, perfect for the special Mum in your life. They are now on sale to the general public, with sales proceeds being used to support this campaign. We’ll also be including one with every Mother’s Day gift given to the Mums which we support.

The card is on sale for £2.50, with the option to pay an additional £2.50 (recommended donation) to include an insert (see blue postcard in below photo) which states that “a gift has been donated on your behalf to a Mum in need”. Your Mum/Mum-in-Law or Grandma will appreciate that you were thinking of others, as well as them.

As well as being available to buy from our HQ, they can now be purchased from the following locations:

• Gerrards in Reigate.
• The Reigate Pop-up Shop, where you can browse more of Doodlemoo’s products, as well as those from other local talented artists. Please note, card only (with no insert) is for sale at this location.
• TSB in the Belfry Shopping Centre, Redhill.
• The Peekaboo Play Cafe in Holmwood, near Dorking.
• Imagineville on Quarryside Business Park in Merstham.
• The Natural Baby Shower in Bagshot.
• Online at Becky Pearce Designs for those who can’t get to the shops or don’t live locally – with an extra £1 being charged to cover P&P.

We’d like to thank the above businesses for supporting our campaign, please do pop in and show your support and gratitude.

We’d love to see the cards standing proud on your mantelpiece so please share on social media using the hashtag #Mum2Mum2019 (and tagging @StripeyStork).

Buy a necklace from Becky Pearce Designs – Local jeweller Becky Pearce Designs is offering two of her beautifully handcrafted necklaces for sale this Mother’s Day, with 20% of sales going towards our campaign:

1. Teeny Silver Heart Pendant £25
2. Birthstone Charm Necklace £42

She’s also conveniently created a Mother’s Day package, where you can add one of our Mother’s Day cards to your shopping cart.

Donate online – Show another Mum you care by donating to our campaign fund via Localgiving. For just £5 we will arrange a mini pamper pack to be sent to each Mum referred to us. We also benefit from bulk purchase discounts to ensure your donation goes even further. You can make your donation here at any time until Mother’s Day (Sunday 31st March). And not forgetting that all important 25% gift aid if you’re a UK tax payer.

Donate a gift set* – Pick up a toiletry gift set whilst out shopping. Or, if you have any unwanted items at home that you can donate – a toiletry gift set received at Christmas perhaps that you haven’t yet opened, or gift bags in good condition – then we can rehome them too. Please note, we are not accepting make-up donations, as this type of item is dependent on personal preference and we do not have direct contact with the Mums we support.

Why not organise a collection amongst friends, colleagues or a community group you are a part of? Details of times you can drop items at our offices in Redhill can be found here. Don’t forget to share your donations on social media using the hashtag #Mum2Mum2019 (and tag @StripeyStork). We love to see people getting involved and it also encourages others to do the same.

Buy a gift from our Amazon Wish list – We’ve added some popular gift sets to this dedicated wish list, making it super easy for you to help as items are delivered straight to our office. A popular choice for those who want to buy a tangible gift but are too busy to drop the gift to us or don’t live/work in the local area. We’ll keep topping up the list as items are bought and we spot any good offers, so one to keep checking.

The gift that keeps on giving

Subject to availability, any gift packs leftover after Mother’s Day will be distributed in the weeks following. If we are lucky enough to have even more left after this period, then we will be including them with our ‘care packages’ sent throughout the year to local families in need – as a gift to Mum if it’s felt that it will be a well-received boost at this difficult time. Likewise, any funds leftover will also be used to support our general work throughout the year.

Thank you for your support.

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