Family support group Geelong Mums received a significant boost recently thanks to a $100,000 donation from Bisinella Developments.
Geelong Mums is a well-known local charity providing critical support for babies and children in our community.
Bisinella Developments Managing Director Lino Bisinella donated the funds at a Geelong Mums business breakfast held at the Geelong Football Club in November 2021. The event raised a total of $130,000 to help families on the Geelong Mums waitlist to receive urgent assistance before Christmas.
Bisinella’s generous donation will help provide families in the region with safe prams and car seats, clothing, nappies and other essential supplies.
In the past financial year, Geelong Mums has provided more than 6,000 babies and children with more than 18,000 essential nursery items valued at more than $2.2 million.
Mr Bisinella praised the work of the charity, which was established in 2013.
“Geelong Mums and the many households that support this charity are providing such an important service to those in need in our region, many who have been impacted heavily by COVID-19,” Mr Bisinella said.
“We are proud to support this wonderful cause and congratulate the whole team at Geelong Mums on the tremendous work they are doing in our community.”
Despite the enormous outpouring of support over the past 12 months, demand for the charity’s services continue to grow.
Kelly Suvoltos, Geelong Mums Partnership & Events Coordinator, said the past 18 months had been incredibly challenging for the families supported by the charity.
“More than half the children on our waitlist have been affected by the pandemic,” Ms Suvoltos said.
“With the impact of a global pandemic and multiple lockdowns, we have seen an increase in people asking for help.
“There are families worried about where their baby will sleep safely tonight. Families without a spare pair of underwear or fresh nappies. Others with no safe way to get their kids to and from the supermarket in the car or by foot.
“Whether it be due to homelessness, a parent losing their job, or the strain of the pandemic causing mental health challenges in the family, these are all real issues that have hit children especially hard. And many of these children are from families just like yours and mine.”
Geelong Mums works in partnership with social workers and maternal and child health nurses to provide babies and children experiencing disadvantage with essential nursery equipment, clothing and other items they need for a safe start in life.
Ms Suvoltos said Geelong Mums was absolutely thrilled with the support from Bisinella.
“We're delighted that this will greatly assist us in supporting thousands of babies and children. It has also helped us get to those families on our waitlist who needed urgent assistance prior to Christmas,” she said.
“There will now be more families putting their children into safe prams and car seats, more babies sleeping safely, enough clothing, nappies and other essentials ready in our warehouse to meet the growing requests.
“At a basic level, this donation will help to relieve some of the stress for so many families of having to find money to purchase essential items. It will provide much needed comfort to those being forced to decide whether to put food on the table or provide a safe place for their baby to sleep.”
Ms Suvoltos said the gift would help Geelong Mums to open their doors every day and allow them to process donations of goods, grow the volunteer family and deliver special projects.
Members of the public can support Geelong Mums through financial donations, donating pre-loved nursery and children’s items or by volunteering their time.
For more information about Geelong Mums and how you can help, visit www.geelongmums.org