We’re bringing love and hope through the gift of new treasured possessions for children escaping domestic violence as we pack our 25,000th Buddy Bag.
We have smashed through our target of 20,200 bags packed by 2020 and will pack our 25,000th bag with essential items, including a teddy called Buddy, in Lichfield on Saturday, December 21st .
In the UK alone, 48,000 children are forced to flee their home with just the clothes they are wearing and head to a refuge each year. This is where the Buddy Bag Foundation, comes in, packing and sending bags filled with 12 essential items to youngsters across the UK.
One-hundred-and-eighty bags are packed at regular Buddy Bag Brigade events and can include teddies, crayons, books and a picture frame for a precious photo. Pyjamas and toiletries are other key items, carefully chosen to match a child’s age.
BBF founder Karen Williams said: “Our Christmas Buddy Bag Brigade bag packs are always special events as our volunteers take time to remember these children as they face an uncertain future.
“But this year it’s even more special to reach our 25,000 milestone.”
She added: “Can you imagine being one of those youngsters? You leave all you know behind you, clutching your mum’s hand as you arrive in a women’s refuge. This must be one of the scariest moments any child could face. Yet children remain the forgotten victims of domestic abuse.
“Often these children escape with just the clothes they are wearing as they go along with an opportunity to get out, or they are taken from school.
“ As families step nervously into their temporary accommodation, which is an emergency place to stay, we offer a glimmer of light – a bag of love – to show we are thinking of them. We are the only UK charity to do this and we will not stop. Restoring a sense of safety and security into a child’s life during a traumatic time is one of the first steps to recovery. Buddy Bags are something a child can call their own, no matter where they go. Tailored across a wide age range from newborn babies to teenagers, they contain everything a child needs straight away.
“Feedback from families means so much. They tell us why they loved their bags and sometimes, how women feel stronger and more sure of their decision to leave, thanks to seeing their sons and daughters happy when they open their unexpected packs of goodies.”
“Even with packing 25,000 bags with love, we know we’re only just scratching the surface and we are committed to doing much, much more.”
The Christmas Buddy Bag Brigade pack will be at Life Church, Netherstowe, Lichfield, WS13 6TS, Lichfield, WS13 6TS, on Saturday, December 21 at 10.30am.
How else you can help:
Buy a teddy for £10 and get another one given to a child in need: https://buddybagfoundation.co.uk/shop/buddy-bear/
Help pack the bags at a Buddy Bag Brigade – these are held regularly in Tamworth and Sutton Coldfield. See website for more details.
Each bag costs £25. Donations are needed to continue to fill them ready to bring a smile to the faces of children in a desperate time:
https://buddybagfoundation.co.uk/product-category/donations/
Corporate sponsors can include BBF as a Charity of the Year, hold their own bag pack, or launch a BBF challenge
Keen knitters can follow the BBF pattern for teddies to put in the bags
