If your kids have outgrown clothing, shoes and toys and they’re still in great condition, there’s a local organisation that will gladly take it.
We Care Connect is a volunteer-powered local charity rehoming quality preloved children’s essentials with families who need them most on the Central Coast and Hunter Region. Their target group is the over 30,000 children living in poverty throughout Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Hunter and Central Coast region.
Who Is We Care Connect?
We Care Connect responds to childhood poverty by providing essential child care and safety items that are beyond a family’s capacity to purchase. Every family they support has been case worker assessed.
They support families with children’s clothing & shoes, bed linen, cots, bassinets, prams, car seats, safety gates, toys, games, books and a wide range of other everyday items.
Some of the family situations may be mothers with their children fleeing domestic violence, grandmothers finding themselves caring for toddlers without as much as a car seat to pick them up in, or homeless teenagers about to become mothers themselves.
We Care Connect restores safety, dignity and self-worth to vulnerable children by providing them with great quality clothing, safe and warm bedding, essential equipment, and school/developmental items – all donated by generous community supporters.
Since 2016, 721,998 children’s items – ranging from a t-shirt to a double pram have been generously donated by the community and re-homed to a family in need.
How We Care Connect Helps Different Age Groups
We Care Connect runs several programs providing items for different age groups and need.
- Begin Bright supports infants from birth to 2 years
- Girl/Boy clothing programs for ages 2-10
- Youth Connect for ages 11-17
- The Sleep Through the Night and Play & Learn programs which deliver safe and warm bedding and books, craft, school supplies, toys and birthday gifts for all age groups.
- Their Christmas and Back to School programs provide brand new items each year.
Their goal is to support all children who need it, with practical everyday items. Since 2016, their volunteer team has supported over 16,000 children distributing more than 440,000 items free of charge in partnership with over 80 family support programs.
The children they help are often dealing with significant trauma. Of the children supported, 64 percent live in sole parent households, 60 percent have been affected by family violence, and 52 percent are affected by long term illness or disability. Thirty five percent are First Nations children.
The need has grown each year. We Care Connect was founded in 2016 by Derryck (pictured below) and a small group of volunteers who believed that no child should be disadvantaged because of poverty. In their first year, We Care Connect helped 440 children. This year, they’re anticipating helping more than 8000.
What You Can Donate to We Care Connect
You can donate a range of items to We Care Connect including quality pre-loved children’s clothing, shoes, disposable nappies, blankets and sheets, prams & strollers, high chairs, cots and mattresses and backpacks. Visit the We Care Connect website for a full list of items. Every item donated is provided FREE to a family in need.
There’s a number of drop off locations around the Hunter and Central Coast so check the list and find a drop off partner close to you.
While all donations are appreciated, We Care Connect has particular need for clothing and shoes for older kids aged 12 to 18, as well as single sheets.
Other Ways to Help We Care Connect
If you’ve given away all of your baby and kids gear but still want to help, you can make a tax deductible donation.
There are also plenty of volunteering opportunities based in Wyong or Thornton. There are 80 volunteers at Wyong & 40 volunteers in the Hunter but We Care Connect are always looking for more.
There are roles to suit everybody. Come along and help sort through the wonderful community donations they receive, or prepare individual support packs for local families in need.
They also need volunteers with mechanical skills to check toys, games, cots, prams and car seats, along with people who have warehouse management or other professional skills to offer.
How to receive help from We Care Connect
We Care Connect does not work directly with recipients. Instead, they partner with community organisations and case workers so that every family receives a complete, considered package of care.
If you need assistance, get in touch with one of these local organisations to access services:
- Family Support Network
- Maitland Family Support
- Eastlakes Family Support
- Port Stephens Family Support
- Parents Next
- Department of Communities and Justice
- Benevolent Society
- Intensive Family Preservation
- Brighter Futures
We Care Connect will work with case workers to prepare a custom care package for each family depending on their circumstances and age of their children.
Here’s feedback from one case worker.
“I just wanted to send through an email to thank you for the amazing efforts of all the staff who work at We Care. The packages are so beautifully and carefully considered for each individual family. There is always attention to detail and the beautiful work in the bags that are handmade to carry the clothes and items in are amazing. I am grateful on behalf of all the families that receive your care packages and hope you know how much we appreciate your support and kindness. So many families would be lost without your generosity and as a case worker I genuinely appreciate your hard work providing care for those who need it most.”
For more information about how you can help or be helped by We Care Connect, visit the website.