Hi,
It has been a rare privilege for me as Board Chair to step into the Interim CEO role over the last couple of months. In my normal voluntary role, I have always known that the success of St Kilda Mums lay with our small team of staff, volunteers and incredible supporters but to see it all coming together on a daily basis has been extraordinary for me.
I know this latest lockdown has been challenging for so many so I do hope you’re staying safe and well. I’m pleased to say that we are still able to support families and are incredibly busy despite not being able to accept goods donations at the warehouse and have our volunteers onsite right now.
There have been lots of highlights for me over the last couple of months, including:
- Celebrating National Volunteer Week in the Clayton warehouse - a special way to say thanks to all our incredible volunteers
- Attending our “Make a Mother’s Day” launch event at L’Oreal
- Travelling to our other branches in Geelong and Ballarat and seeing the brand new expanded warehouse there
- Seeing lots of goods donations coming through via post this week
On another exciting note, Giving Day is also just around the corner on Wednesday 16 June. Please keep an eye out for updates and #givesharecare what you can!
Thank you for everything you do for St Kilda Mums! We often hear about the immediate impact the many items you help provide to families has on families in need. Cots, prams, car seats and clothing bundles aren't just a mode of transport or a nice outfit for families. They provide so much more - freedom, warmth, safety and opportunity.
I hope you enjoy reading some of the exciting updates happening at St Kilda Mums.
Warm regards,
Deidre
Deidre Mackechnie
Interim CEO
deidre@stkildamums.org
Give, Share, Care on Giving Day 2021
It’s that special time of year again… Giving Day is almost here. Just one week to go!
Last year, an incredible $260,000 was donated from the community on the day. We were blown away by this support and then able to quadruple it thanks to our generous matched donor partners. Because of all these generous donations, we’ve been able to help 16,813 babies and children across 7,920 families in Victoria.
We’re pleased to confirm that we will be quadrupling donations again this year and would love to raise just a little bit more than last year to ensure that we can help thousands more families with no other way of providing for their children.
This is why we need you - our loving community to Give, Share and Care this Giving Day.
The impact of your support
We recently received a lovely message from a social worker that we would love to share with you.
"I just wanted to let you know that the families we work with were so grateful for all the clothing bundles that they received from St Kilda Mums last time. I know you may not see the impact it has on the families, but I can assure you that the smiles, joy and gratitude we see and hear from these families are amazing and worth all the time and effort. Thank you for providing such a beautiful and worthy service to IPC Health and our families."
Belle's story
Recently one of our incredible monthly donors Belle shared her story with us.
"I have always felt strongly about recycling goods, so when I heard about St Kilda Mums, it met two goals - reusing baby products to save unnecessary, wasteful landfill, and helping women and children in need. I was so impressed with the organisation, I became a monthly donor. My respect for the group took an unexpected spike when a friend of mine - unbeknownst to me - found herself and her young child in a position of urgent need having to flee the family home. As non-Australian citizens, they could receive only limited government support, so St Kilda Mums stepped in. To think that their reach extends throughout Melbourne and beyond, and to be touched by their thoughtful generosity and care makes me respect the organisation even more. Thank you for your daily work, and for caring for my friend in her time of need. I am proud to support you, and will continue to do so."
We sent a little thanks to Belle for her kind words and she came back saying that her friend managed to get back home to New Zealand and is finding her feet again.
Thank you for Making a Mother's Day
Our Make a Mother's Day toiletry pack campaign was also a wonderful success after COVID put a stop to it last year. Thanks to the incredible support of both the community and our hard working and generous volunteers, we were able to provide over 600 toiletry packs to Mums in need and raised over $27,000.
We received this lovely picture from one of our regional social workers who was sent some Make a Mother’s Day packs for these young mums in Mildura.
We couldn’t ask for a better reminder of why we do what we do, and how we just could not assist these families without all of your hard work and support!
Community Hub supported by AIA Australia
At St Kilda Mums we're all about building a sense of community. With the support of AIA Australia we've created a welcoming space for our volunteers to take a break, share a cuppa & have a chat. Now, more than ever, we know the importance of staying connected to the community, taking care of those around us and giving a helping hand to those less fortunate.
b.box
The co-founders of b.box - Monique & Dannielle - visited recently with a huge donation of products to support our Nourished With Love project! Plates, bowls, cutlery & more will all be included in our First Foods Kits. Being a local business, the b.box team have also spent time volunteering at our warehouse.
Rudie Nudie
The new sponsor of the Toy Town area in our warehouse is Rudie Nudie! Another locally owned business committed to giving back, Rudie Nudie makes fantastic waterproof playmats which we love to include in our toy bags.
Owner, Jacqui, spent some time volunteering with us recently and also helped to organise a fundraiser in her local inner west community to raise money for St Kilda Mums.
National Volunteer Week
17 - 23 May
We were so lucky to celebrate National Volunteer Week together this year and acknowledge all the generous contributions and hard work of our volunteers.
The week was filled with morning teas supplied by our incredible community including Cupcake Queens, Daniel’s Donuts, Sushi Sushi and Ivan’s Pies. Our volunteers were also treated with an exciting motivational speaker, Chris Helder and the wonderful Della Katessen joined us for volunteer bingo!
Our volunteers are such a huge part of St Kilda Mums and we are so grateful for their commitment, hard work and support.
Sharing the joy
The kindness of our community has reached far and wide with some special individuals doing amazing work to support families in need. A couple of weeks ago, Willow (right, with the help of Ivy), dropped off a beautiful backpack for a 6 year old girl. Willow decided she'd like to create a gift for a girl her own age, and used her pocket money to fill the pack with new stationery and toys. Thank you for sharing the joy Willow and Ivy!
Coats for Kids
This winter we will be able to continue with our Coats for Kids drive at St Kilda Mums. We are collecting warm winter coats, jumpers and jeans in excellent condition.
A donation drive for essential winter items is a great way to get your local community involved. If you would like to collect winter coats with your school, kinder, workplace or other community group please email us: donate@stkildamums.org
Supporter survey results
Thank you to everyone who completed our survey earlier this year. As a valued supporter of St Kilda Mums, your feedback is very important to us.
We will be looking further into the results and contacting anyone that was interested in hearing back from us. There were some lovely messages of support included in there like this one:
“The work that St Kilda Mums do makes a huge difference to the most vulnerable in our community. As a support worker, there is nothing nicer than taking goods from St Kilda Mums around to my client's home and seeing the joy on the children and the mum's faces as they unpack their items. Not only is it a practical help but it makes my clients feel like people still care and want to help.”
Please share your St Kilda Mums story
Over the last few months, with your support, we have continued to provide essential nursery equipment to thousands of families in need. We’ve also had quite a few people reaching out to share their St Kilda Mums story with us.
Every story we hear brightens our day. So now it's your turn...
There are no rules or requirements. You’re very welcome to share your name with us or remain anonymous.
If you’re not sure where to begin, here are some questions to consider when telling your story:
- Why have you chosen to support St Kilda Mums?
- How did you hear about us?
- Did St Kilda Mums provide assistance to you? If so, in what way?
- How did your experience reveal what St Kilda Mums is all about?
