{"id":185578,"date":"2026-04-27T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/?p=185578"},"modified":"2026-04-22T21:41:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T11:41:38","slug":"a-community-push-for-children-lacking-lifes-essentials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/news\/a-community-push-for-children-lacking-lifes-essentials\/","title":{"rendered":"A community push for children lacking life\u2019s essentials"},"content":{"rendered":"

A LOCAL charity that provides essential items for babies and children is counting down to its biggest fundraiser of the year.<\/p>\n

Our Village, formerly known as Geelong Mums, will host its annual Mother’s Day Lunch on Friday 1 May.<\/p>\n

More than 500 guests are expected to attend the event at Melbourne’s Glasshouse to support families across the region.<\/p>\n

The organisation assists parents experiencing family violence, homelessness, or financial hardship by providing essential goods like cots, prams and clothing packs.<\/p>\n

To ensure these items reach those most at risk, the charity works directly with a network of social workers and maternal health nurses who identify families in need.<\/p>\n

In 2025, the group assisted more than 19,000 children across Victoria, distributing over 66,000 items worth an estimated $7.6 million.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Television presenter Brihony Dawson will host the event, which will feature live music and stories of local impact. Photo: Supplied.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Each of these items is safety-checked by a team of volunteers before being gifted to a new home.<\/p>\n

Our Village chief executive Ruth Holdaway said the event is a chance for the community to rally behind those who lack the basic essentials for their children.<\/p>\n

“Celebrating Mother’s Day is a great chance to get dressed up and enjoy a wonderful afternoon while raising vital funds for mums in need,” she said.<\/p>\n

“We totally understand everyone is doing it tough right now, but we hope our amazing guests will dig deep to support those who do not even have the essentials.”<\/p>\n

Last year’s lunch raised over $390,000, and organisers hope to surpass that figure this year to meet growing demand for the service.<\/p>\n

Television presenter Brihony Dawson will host the afternoon, which features live entertainment from Midnight Mix.<\/p>\n

Final tickets are on sale, with all proceeds directly supporting the charity’s work.<\/p>\n

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit ourvillage.org.au<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A LOCAL charity that provides essential items for babies and children is counting down to its biggest fundraiser of the year. Our Village, formerly known as Geelong Mums, will host its annual Mother’s Day Lunch on Friday 1 May. More than 500 guests are expected to attend the event at Melbourne’s Glasshouse to support families […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":254,"featured_media":185584,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-185578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA community push for children lacking life\u2019s essentials - Surf Coast Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Support Our Village charity at the Mother's Day Lunch. 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