In the year ending June 2020, 58,500 children were born across New Zealand. Stats New Zealand reports that 13.4% of children lived in a household experiencing material hardship. This means they could not access essential items such as fresh fruit or vegetables, were putting off a visit to the doctors or were unable to pay a basic utility bill on time.
These numbers translate to an urgent need for 7,839 Bare Necessities starter donation packs per year.
The current health crisis has also caused unexpected hardship among families that would have otherwise been considered medium income households with the ability to afford the kinds of essentials that Bare Necessities provides.
We now know that childhood poverty adversely affects adult employment, education, income, health and cognitive outcomes. The mother’s mental health is also crucial to the wellbeing of her child. This is highly concerning as poverty is one of the contributing risk factors to post natal depression. Are you ready to do something tangible about this?
You take a significant amount of financial pressure off a young family and help them focus on meeting their child's needs with a positive outlook and hope. You empower a new mother to welcome her new child into a world where she is treated with dignity and compassion.
We are firm believers in the importance of reusing and sustainability. Our recipients are encouraged to return non-consumable items that they no longer need so that they can be reused if in good condition.