HELPING HANDS
Mother of eight Soli Leau-Bradnock knows what it is to go without and now does her best to support others who may be struggling.
Mother of eight Soli LeauBradnock supports the struggling.
“FAMILIES WERE STRUGGLING WITH CLOTHES AND FOOD. I THOUGHT, ‘WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?’”
SOLI LEAU-BRADNOCK
Soli Leau-Bradnock admits she’s quite nervous to be interviewed. Like most people in her line of work, she’s less comfortable in the spotlight and far more at ease when she’s on the ground helping people in her community. Born and raised in the small Waikato town of Putāruru, Leau-Bradnock is the founder of Helping Hands, a community hub that provides free clothing, bedding, furniture, food, and other basic supplies. Alongside donated items, at Helping Hands you’ll also find family support workers and Māori health practitioners offering free services to those in need.
Leau-Bradnock, who is a trained social worker in schools, says she was motivated to open the hub in 2019 after seeing a gap in the community. “Families were struggling with things like clothing and food. I thought, ‘What can I do to help?’” It started out as a small idea to fill a practical need, but with aid from the Tokoroa Council of Social Services, Helping Hands has quickly grown into a network of support and a true cornerstone of the community – a place where people can find basic necessities, get help from support workers, or simply stay for a cup of tea and a chat.
In the beginning, it was just her and her daughters. Now, there are three volunteers and one paid worker in the Helping Hands team. Since starting, she’s seen a flood of support from local residents and businesses in the tight-knit rural community. “When we started, we thought it’d just be this shelf of clothing. Then that one shelf turned out to be a whole room which is fully stocked. The community has seen a need and a way to help and nearly every single day we’re getting donations,” says Leau-Bradnock.
Two years on, Leau-Bradnock has seen the need for her community hub grow. Now that the word is out, Helping Hands sees on average 30 families coming through every week. Leau-Bradnock says it’s not just people reliant on government benefits who need the support, but many who are working but still struggling to pay the bills. “The common thing we hear is that rent and power are so high. They want to keep a roof over their heads and need power, so they’re running out of funds to provide clothing.”
A mother to eight daughters, Leau-Bradnock says a lot of her passion and generosity comes from personal experience and her own struggles of raising a family. “I’ve raised lots of children. I know how hard it is and I know when I was struggling, my mental health wasn’t too good either. I do get tired at times, but I really want to help.” With her own family to look after and a day job keeping her busy, Leau-Bradnock is no doubt stretched thin at times, but says she loves the work she does. For her, it’s important that every person who reaches out to Helping Hands is treated with kindness and dignity.
“If I get a message at midnight, I’m answering them because it takes a lot to step forward. I make sure to acknowledge everyone that comes through. It’s important.”
As to the future, Leau-Bradnock hopes she can secure more funding to grow Helping Hands with more support for families and whānau where needed, such as holistic health and wellbeing services.
“We all love what we do, and we are all so passionate about helping our community to thrive.”