A BENDIGO organisation is looking for more donations to help support vulnerable families who have young children.
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Sunshine Bendigo has been operating for the past five years thanks to volunteers in the community.
Founder and director Glenda Serpell said the service had supported about 700 families in the past year.
"We have been answering the needs of our community for their babies," she said.
"But in recent times, we have been unable to receive donations because we had to close our site.
"We want to let the public know that now is a good time to give back to the vulnerable in the community."
Sunshine Bendigo is after warm baby clothes, including onesies, coats, blankets, and socks.
The organisation is also in need of baby equipment like prams, cots, and car seats.
But Mrs Serpell said due to COVID-19, the donations would need to be new items rather than second-hand.
"We liaise with case workers from different support organisations in town who assess the needs for people who are experiencing difficult times," she said.
"We answer that call. Those needs are heightened during the pandemic because everyone's circumstances have changed.
"It is essential that a baby has a safe place to sleep and travel, and warm bedding and clothing. That is essential for babies and families."
Mrs Serpell said the organisation had been doing the best it could during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there had been challenges.
"All of our opportunities for fundraising have been halted," she said. "We had a real struggle to keep running costs going.
"Along with donations, we're also asking the community to financially support us if they can. We're always looking at grants, but we haven't been able to do our normal fundraising and corporate requests."
Mrs Serpell said members of the public could get in touch via email at sunshinebendigo1@gmail.com or via social media.
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