Places for People, the UK’s leading social enterprise, has proudly provided Buddy Bag Foundation with £9,000 of funding from their charity – Places Foundation.
The funding will help to issue over 360 backpacks to children across the country. To celebrate the donation and boost awareness of the Buddy Bag Foundation, over 35 Places for People colleagues volunteered their time to join a “Buddy Bag Pack”, and pack 360 bags to give to children this month.
Karen Williams, CEO of Buddy Bag Foundation said: “Our work aims to restore a sense of safety and security to a child’s life during a traumatic time which we believe is one of the first steps to recovery. This recent grant funding from the Places Foundation is gratefully received and will help us to continue our mission by supporting many more young people.”
The Buddy Bag Foundation works directly with over 300 refuge centres across the UK to supply backpacks, including Places for People who provide supported accommodation services, including safe housing and additional support for domestic abuse victims.
Marcus Hulme, Director of Places Impact at Places for People commented: “We are proud to have been working closely with Buddy Bag Foundation and have seen first-hand the positive impact these backpacks can have on young people entering our emergency care supported accommodation services. The backpacks are vital in helping to restore a feeling of safety and security to a child in these difficult times. Through our independent charity, Places Foundation, we are delighted to be able to support incredible initiatives like the Buddy Bag Foundation with our time and funding.”
Each year over 48,000 children enter emergency care, often with nothing. A Buddy Bag backpack contains all the essential items a child needs including toiletries, pyjamas, socks and underwear as well as comfort items such as a book and a teddy bear. The bags are tailored to suit babies, children and young people according to their age groups and gender.
Since its inception in 2015, the Foundation has issued over 56,800 backpacks for children.
Find out more about how you can support the Buddy Bag Foundation here or get in touch with us.
To find out more about Places for People and the work they do here.
