A VITAL service for families in need, Sunshine Bendigo, has celebrated its sixth birthday this week and the need for baby supplies is not slowing down.
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Founder and director of Sunshine Bendigo, mother and grandmother Glenda Serpell, started the organisation to provide practical support to families in the community who are experiencing challenging times.
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In the process, thousands of local babies in vulnerable families have been welcomed into the world with much needed supplies, free of charge.
"I started Sunshine Bendigo because I saw a need in the community where families were struggling to find the resources for the little ones in their care," she said.
"So it was a matter of course to find the resource to meet the need.
"I care about families and love being part of the solution."
The central Victorian, volunteer-run group collect, sort and redistribute essentials like prams, cots, strollers, car seats and toys to those who need it most.
In the words of Ms Serpell, the organisation hopes to help with "the practical needs that a mother would need or a family would need to provide a safe environment for their child to flourish".
"Our clients come through a referral process through caseworkers, social workers and health professionals," she said.
"And they come from all walks of life with all sorts of needs.
"We're seeing an extreme rise in the number of clients that we service and the diverse backgrounds that they come from."
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Homelessness and domestic violence are some of the key causes, with the increased pressures of life contributing to the rise in need.
Sunshine provides all of its own funding through grants that the team procure and through fundraising, but Ms Serpell would like to see more done at a government level.
"I think this is an essential service and we often wonder, 'where would they (families) go if we weren't here'?" she said.
"There's a lot of big issues that are addressed in the support of families and I guess we're just one piece in that support.
"It's amazing that we can do what we do and we rely a lot on broader community support with the financial support, and the practical support of goods that we can then get ready to be rehomed."
The 25-strong team work to get all donated items checked to ensure they're in good working condition and meet current Australian Safety Standards - and in addition to saving thousands of families millions of dollars over the years, they have saved countless items from landfill.
"Sunshine Bendigo gives the community an alternative to recycle and rehome much loved baby goods," she said.
"You can share the joy of motherhood by becoming part of the solution, rehoming resources which relieves the financial burden for those in need."
For Ms Serpell, the real reward of her work is being part of the solution, contributing to the needs of the babies and feeling the love from the clients she and her team directly help.
She wanted to thank the community for their support, and asked that people continue to aid their important work as they help more local families.
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