Right now, there are 48,000 children living in out of home care. That means, they're living with someone other than a biological parent. Our ME Packs are also given to children fleeing domestic violence with a parent, entering secure accommodation and emergency accommodation.
In Victoria alone, each year, 4,000 children are admitted to out of home care. Children are often displaced, even from birth, with little more than the clothes on their back.
We believe that having clean, appropriate clothing, new underwear, their own toiletries, a soft toy to cuddle, a blankie to snuggle, a torch to light the darkness, restores dignity and self-worth by ensuring they have some belongings of their own and the items they need to feel clean and comfortable as they enter a stranger's home.
Providing displaced children with urgently needed essential items helps to relieve feelings of loss and grief, experienced during what is often a traumatic and frightening time of relocation.
Each of our My Essentials Packs (ME Packs) contains clothing and sleepwear for one gender and clothing size, and includes a full range of toiletries, personal care items, stationery and other items that we call 'extra love', making them easy for workers to give to children in a timely manner as soon as practicable after displacement, long before any assessments or decisions have been made. Backpacks 4 VIC Kids provides 30 ME Packs every week to children in Victoria.
In 2022 FY, we aim to provide 2,500 backpacks to children in crisis.
Sadly, even from the moment they are born, some babies are not safe in the care of a parent and are immediately removed. Our ME Jnr Packs include disposable nappies, a bottle, dummy and a large range of clothing in one size and baby care items to ensure that whomever is holding a displaced baby has all that is needed to provide immediate care whilst arrangements are made for a longer term solution. It breaks our hearts, but we continue to provide 15-20 ME Jnr Packs every week to babies from sizes 0000 up to size 0.
Our children are our most vulnerable community members, often in crisis through no fault of their own. They deserve our help and support. They deserve to have the basic essentials most of us take for granted.
You can sponsor a ME Pack for just $76. In return, we'll provide $300 worth of items to a displaced child. That's a life changing gift that you can give, through donating to Backpacks 4 VIC Kids.
Help support this cause by creating your own 'CrowdRaiser' fundraising page.
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