Shining a light on families in need

IT’S said it takes a village to raise a child and leading the effort are the volunteers at Sunshine Bendigo.

Founded by Glenda Serpell in 2016, the organisation collects and distributes donated goods from the public to families in need who are welcoming a newborn baby.

“I often say to people ‘we’re all part of that village, so we all need to not live so much as isolated beings but live in community and live caring for each other in the community’,” Ms Serpell said.

“We saw that families were struggling with the needs for their children, and this was a sector that we thought we could assist with being mums and grand-mums and women who really care about family.”

Sunshine Bendigo works with around 20 local agencies to meet the needs of families of all shapes and sizes who are seeking support, providing them with clean, quality essentials like cots, highchairs and car seats.

“We’re dealing with all sorts of situations. Sometimes its grandparents who find themselves in the care of children or foster families,” Ms Serpell said.

“Domestic violence is a big issue that we see a lot of flow-on through.”

Ms Serpell said meeting the needs of these families isn’t possible without continued public donations and hardworking volunteers, and the organisation welcomes any support.

“We are always looking for volunteers. It’s a wonderful environment for people to get involved in volunteering and it can be for a day, a week or a couple of hours a day,” she said.

“It’s a lovely way to be involved in something outside of yourself, too.”

Anyone wanting to support Sunshine Bendigo can visit their Facebook page or go to sunshinebendigo.org.au to find more information.