October 14 marked the start of Poverty Week, an awareness campaign running each year to end child poverty.
Central Coast children’s charity, We Care Connect, has chosen to take direct action by providing thousands of children living below the poverty line with the clothing essentials and nursery necessities they sadly just don’t have.
Operating for more than eight years, the charity says the need is now greater than ever.
Recently, We Care Connect has seen a 51 per cent increase in demand for their pre-loved clothing and equipment service, supporting 8,836 children in the past year.
“We believe all children deserve to feel safe, warm and cared for,” We Care Connect spokesperson Helen Barker said.
“Over the past couple of weeks we’ve heard about a mum deciding to only change her baby’s nappy once first thing in the morning – and that’s the only nappy that bub will have all day until the next morning; a teenager leaving home without any belongings, wearing only her pyjamas with no clothing or shoes as she faces the reality of homelessness; and a single mum with four children, who after visiting a relative in an extremely dire situation then took on the care and responsibility of an additional five children so is now caring for nine children between the ages of two and 15.
“This is the reality of poverty in 2024: families facing crisis, let down by one system after another”.
Leading into poverty week this year, We Care Connect has launched their inaugural ‘I Care, You Care, We Care Giving Week’ – an opportunity for the Central Coast community to show they care for the families in their immediate neighbourhood who need a helping hand.
By partnering with Newcastle based Financial Advisors Hunter Financial, every donation made during the I Care, You Care, We Care Giving Week will be matched dollar-for-dollar so that community contributions will go twice as far to help children in need.
We Care Connect has a simple volunteer-led model, to connect community generosity to a family in need.
We Care Connect operates through a professional network of case workers and support agencies which work directly with disadvantaged families.
Each week, the We Care Connect family of more than 120 volunteers sorts, packs and prepares bundles of clothing and nursery equipment based on the individual needs of each child.
In the lead up to Christmas, We Care Connect anticipates the need will be even greater, the rising cost of living is putting families who are already struggling under even more financial stress.
To make a financial donation to the I Care, You Care, We Care Giving Week, go to: https://icareyoucarewecare.raiselysite.com/
Donations will be matched and doubled, thanks to the incredible generosity of Hunter Financial.
We Care Connect distributes pre-loved children’s items like cots, car seats, prams and clothing through a professional network of support agencies and case workers.
Community members who would like to donate great quality children’s items can visit the website www.wecareconnect.org.au to find the 20 drop off locations throughout the Central Coast and Hunter.