Baby banks in south west London are facing unprecedented demand this winter as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.
A baby bank operates just like a food bank but instead of food, they offer baby essentials such as nappies, clothes and buggies to families that need them.
There are currently 1.3 million children living in poverty in the UK and this figure is expected to rise to 5.2 million within the next two years.
Kate Moon, deputy head of operations for Little Village, a charity that manages a network of baby banks across London, said: “Baby banks play a long-term role in the community networks in which they operate.
“They facilitate the re-use of baby clothes and kits and make a positive contribution to both the environment and building resilience for parents and young children.
“At the moment, in particular, this feels really critical with the cost-of-living crisis.”
Little Village was set up in 2016 and has since provided over £9.8 million worth of items for children under five.
The charity operates a central hub in Tooting where families can come and choose items that best suit their needs and support their child’s development.
“We know that the first five years of a child’s life are absolutely critical,” said Moon.
“We also know that children who are living or growing up in poverty, even at the age of five, are starting primary school with a one-year milestone delay on their peers and that transfers all the way through to GCSEs.
“Life is a lot harder for those children.
“What we like to say at Little Village is yes, we can’t fix everything, but we aim to provide some material relief that will take one thing away in terms of worry for a parent.”
Little Village has seen a recent spike increase in demand for its services and in October 2022 the charity had to limit the number of referrals they can accept on a weekly basis.
Moon said: “Since the charity was launched six years ago, this is the first time that we have had to implement a cap and I think that says quite a lot about the increased need.
“Therefore, we don’t know exactly by how much the demand for our services has increased, just that the need is there and the speed that the referrals are used up is quite telling as well.”
Little Village relies primarily on donations and the help of volunteers.
Moon said: “We are mobilised entirely by our volunteers. The volunteers are the ones that make everything that happens at Little Village happen.
“It’s a wonderful warm environment to volunteer in and we have roles for everybody.”
In 2022, Little Village had over 1,200 volunteers come into support.
Immy Levine, who has volunteered with the charity, said: “I started volunteering at Little Village to give back to my local community.
“I’ve always been a baby person so I loved working directly with the families and getting snuggles from adorable little ones, and also helping them choose items for their kids.
“One of the elements that I value most about Little Village is that it is set up like a shop and families can choose what they want. Having agency is vital.”
If you are interested in volunteering for Little Village, click here to sign up and find out more.
Featured image credit; The Nix Company via UnSplash
