Need help?

12 May 2022

Volunteers urgently needed for new Hounslow baby bank

London-based charity, Little Village, said today that it is opening a new baby bank in the former Debenhams department store in the Treaty Shopping Centre. The charity now urgently needs a large team of local volunteers to help operate the baby bank.

Little Village is a baby bank, providing clothes, toys and equipment for babies and children up to the age of five. The charity expects to support over 7000 children this year and has seen a huge increase in the number of families needing its help since the pandemic hit in March 2020.

Little Village runs a network of baby banks across London in areas including Wandsworth, Camden, Brent, Southwark and Roehampton. The Hounslow baby bank is set to be the charity’s largest hub and will contain a large warehouse as well as an area where people can donate items.

Little Village needs to recruit dozens of volunteers and various shifts shifts throughout the week will be available. Roles include checking and sorting clothes, packing bundles for families, and delivering cots and buggies. Potential volunteers can register their interest here.

Sophie Livingstone, CEO of Little Village, said:

“We are really pleased to be able to help families in Hounslow, but the sad truth is that child poverty rates in the borough are very high, and that’s why services like ours are needed.

“We’re hoping to help families in Hounslow in the coming weeks, but can only do that if we’re able to recruit a large number of volunteers. We urgently need volunteers to help us sort and pack donations and meet and support families.

“If people would like to donate any pre-loved, excellent quality kids’ clothes or items we will definitely make sure they go to a good home.”

It is thought that around 41 per cent of children in Hounslow live in poverty, which is above the London child poverty rate of 37 per cent. Little Village has supported 656 under-5s across west London since the beginning of 2020.

For further information about Little Village, including how to volunteer or donate items or money, please visit the Little Village website.

Ends

Notes to editors

About Little Village

Little Village is like a food bank, but for clothes, toys and equipment for babies and children up to the age of 5. We accept donations of excellent-condition, pre-loved items, which are passed on to families who need support. The items are a gift, given with love, from one family to another.

We provide a warm, supportive community for the families we see, building connections, local networks and facilitating support between parents.

We are based in London, with hubs in Camden, Wandsworth, Southwark and Brent. We have also been gifted a warehouse in Watford for a year to support our operations.

Since we launched in 2016, we’ve supported over 17,000 children across London.

Our values of love, solidarity, thriving and sustainability underpin everything we do.

Share this

Latest News