Bloomsbury Mill and the baby bank
The Baby Bank was established in 2015 by Mums, Rebecca Mistry and Amy Tisi from a kitchen table with a church basement for storage.
"When we became mums, we were both lucky enough to have everything we needed to support our little ones: clothes, essential equipment, and the support of our friends and family. Sadly, not all parents are as fortunate, and may lack the financial means to support their families. Which is why we founded The Baby Bank, We are passionate about supporting families in extreme need, and our goal is to ensure all children have the best possible start in life."
Working with a huge network of referral partners from the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Slough Children's Services, Homestart, Food-banks, Human trafficking agencies and many other teams working with families in need, The Baby Bank have donated over 45,000 items to families in extreme need.
The initial donations of nappies, toiletries, clothes and mattresses takes some financial pressure off a family which can help them to avoid debt or going into further debt. Quite often the stigma of poverty excludes families from attending children’s centres, play groups and going out in general. By alleviating some of the pressure, families gain long term benefits to their physical and mental health.
They have and will continue to provide support to families in extreme need, some of which have literally just had the clothes on their back and nothing more and others that have been seeking refuge or escaped from trafficking. "We are regularly told by family support workers that they don’t know what they would do without The Baby Bank."
As we write this blog, The Baby Bank have given items to 714 individuals so far within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire and the surrounding areas, with the number set to increase drastically due to the knock on effects of Covid-19. "We are so grateful for the support we get from our amazing community and will be needing its help in the forthcoming months." We are so thrilled to have been able to help this amazing cause, particularly through this challenging time and will continue to provide support going forward. Next up ...Bedding!
