'It takes a village to raise a child.' Some say it’s an African proverb, or a native American saying. Wherever the statement originated, we can all agree that children grow up happiest in strong communities.
Which is why KIDLY’s proud to continue its partnership with Little Village for a third year. Little Village is an inspiring charity that runs a network of baby banks across London, where they collect, sort and pass on new and pre-loved clothes and equipment for children aged 0-5.
We love Little Village's, mission: their values of love, solidarity, thriving and sustainability are at the heart of everything they do.
A Sustainable Mission
Sustainability was one of the main motivators for the group of friends who set up Little Village in 2016. Deborah Hopper, their Corporate Partnerships Manager, explains:
“They heard about a local mum who'd lost everything in a fire, and asked their network of friends to donate kids’ items to help. Within a short time they had so much, they realised the quantity of stuff that's out there, potentially going to waste. They decided to create a space for people to donate what they no longer used, and a place for other families to collect items they needed.”
Little Village is somewhere for families to donate quality kids' gear they no longer need, or for families facing hardship to find practical help in a friendly, non-judgemental and supportive way.
And so Little Village was born: somewhere to pass on quality kids' gear, where families facing hardship can find practical help in a friendly, non-judgemental and supportive way.
"We've reached over 32,000 children since we started in 2016 and we also connect families into a wider network of support, helping them to build and extend their own ‘village’." explains Deborah. "And we raise our voices for change; sharing the stark realities of too many children’s lives in London."
Our Returns Partner
KIDLY loves everything about Little Village's mission, and since 2022 they've been our official ‘returns partner’. We regularly send them returned and surplus stock, plus our production samples.
KIDLY regularly donates returned items, production samples and surplus stock to Little Village.
"Getting a constant flow of great quality new items from KIDLY makes a real difference to loads of families", says Deborah.
Helping by volunteering
"The charity's grown rapidly since 2016," she goes on. "In 2023, 1,024 volunteers collectively gave over 34,000 hours of their time to support us – which is an incredible achievement - and we continue to go from strength to strength. We offer a range of volunteering roles, both at our sites and from home."
Team KIDLY also volunteered at their baby bank in Brent, picking and packing parcels to be sent out. We had loads of fun making up the parcels with carefully selected items, tailored to the family’s needs – including clothes and toys, baby kit, nappies and toiletries, cots, buggies and slings.
Some Little Village sites, like the one we visited, are set out like shops, with everything nicely displayed, so families can come in, and browse for themselves. We were so impressed: they're so welcoming, with such warm and lovely volunteers and so much great quality stuff just waiting to go to new homes.
“Treating families with respect matters so much,” says Deborah. "They're welcomed in and told to choose what they like. When parents get to make their own choices, it helps them feel a little bit more empowered in challenging times. Plus, of course, it's fun for the kids to pick their own clothes and toys!”
"When parents get to make their own choices, it helps them feel a little bit more empowered in challenging times. Plus, of course, it's fun for the kids to pick out their own clothes and toys."
HOW YOU CAN HELP LITTLE VILLAGE
If you'd like to help out, here's how you can:
1. You can give money
You can donate money which is used to buy toiletries and nappies, to cover transportation costs and to keep the lights on at Little Village locations.
2. You can give time
If you’re based in the London area, you can just sign up to volunteer here. You can go by yourself, with friends, or as a family group. Or, why not get your company involved?
3. You can donate items
You can donate items directly at their London hubs or you can post items to their warehouse: Little Village, Bay 2, Jews Row, London, SW18 1TN. Here's a full list of what Little Village can and can't use.
Or you can donate your clothes, toys and equipment for 0-5s to other UK baby banks. There are over 300 across the country. Find one that's near to you here.