CARE - buddy bags

BUDDY BAGS – ESSENTIAL ITEMS FOR KIDS IN EMERGENCY CARE

Sadly the following is a common story...

Janie is an adorable three year old with beautiful blonde hair and adorable chubby cheeks.  She’s inquisitive, playful and loves to dress up in her Mum’s clothes.  Tragically, Janie’s parents have an incredibly volatile relationship which has been abusive for some time.  Alcohol abuse and physical aggression are very evident in this family and Child Protective Services have been called several times.  Last night, Janie’s arm was badly bruised during a raging feud between her parents that resulted in Janie’s Mum being taken away in an ambulance.  At about 11pm, Janie was taken from her home by Protective Services and placed in emergency foster care.

There was no time to grab her toothbrush, pyjamas or even her teddy bear.

It’s possible Janie could be in foster care or temporary living for months - or even years - and could be moved from home to home many times over.  During this time Janie may not ever own any clothes, toys or personal items of her very own.  She may still be without a teddy bear to cuddle.

Shockingly, in Australia up to 80,000 children are removed from their homes due to violence every single year.  They need your help.

The Alannah and Madeline Foundation has introduced a much needed program – Buddy Bags – developed in response to continued demands to support the many children who are removed from their homes due to violence with literally nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Buddy Bags provide children with a backpack containing essential and personal items, all of which are brand new.  It is theirs to keep, providing them with belongings of their very own, and will help begin the process of restoring a sense of safety and security into their lives.

Each Buddy Bag includes:

Volunteers pack the Buddy Bags, which are then kindly delivered by Australian Air Express to receiver agencies who then distribute on to clients. 

Each Buddy Bag also includes a postcard addressed to The Alannah and Madeline Foundation.  For the younger children there is a drawing to be coloured in; for the older groups there is space for writing what they liked most about the Buddy Bag. 

Individuals and organisations have the opportunity to get involved in the Buddy Bag program in the following ways:

• Sponsor a Buddy Bag for a cost of $120 – this could be $10 directly debited from your account each month – that’s only $2.30 per week
• Find out more about opportunities for your organisation to come on board as an ongoing supplier
• Sponsoring a Buddy Bag on behalf of family and friends in lieu of a gift.

To sponsor a Buddy Bag or for more information about donating or volunteering, please call The Alannah and Madeline Foundation on (03) 9697 0666 or email care@amf.org.au.

Supporting Partners
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation would like to thank the following organisations for their generous support in providing the contents for Buddy Bags :

Allan Cornwell Publishing, Cooee Brands, Dimmeys, Five Mile Press,

Red Robin, Sandford Australia, Starite Distributors, The Warehouse.