Help for 5000 families
Loving Arms flourishing from seed planted 10 years ago
For the first time, double-income families are coming to Loving Arms for help, as even they are struggling with the cost of living. Sharni Budd
It was almost 10 years ago that Te Awamutu’s Sharni Budd saw one new mum in need and decided she would try to help. Her goal was to help that one mum so she gave what she could and turned to social media for more help.
Soon she had enough donated clothing and vouchers to help 10 new mums. The seed for Loving Arms was sown.
And now that seed has flourished beyond expectations, with Loving Arms husband and wife team of Sharni and Jamie Budd signing on their 5000th family needing help.
The original goal remains the same: Every baby matters and every family counts.
Sharni’s vision was to see that every baby born in the community was adequately clothed and every new family cared for, supported and encouraged during that all-important time after the birth and throughout the child’s first year.
It is a Waikato-wide organisation, helping mums from the Coromandel to Tokoroa, but Covid and the costof-living crisis have seen the net spread even wider when resources allow.
Sharni says that for the first time, double-income families are coming to Loving Arms for help, as even they are struggling with the cost of living.
Jamie says it is bittersweet, knowing they are doing what they can, but the need is still growing.
Looking after babies is often just part of the problem, so Loving Arms also gets requests that don’t fit their remit. These are referred to other agencies.
They get several of their clients through referrals and work closely with social workers, Kirikiriroa Family Services Trust, midwives, Plunket, Winz, Oranga Tamariki, community workers, health workers, police and HeretoHelpU.
The numbers keep growing and that has meant big changes for the Budd family.
Four years ago they formed the Loving Arms Charitable Trust, with Jamie serving as chairman of the board and Sharni as a board member.
Jamie also left his job as the Associate Pastor at Zion Church to be a stay-at-home dad to the couple’s eight children, releasing Sharni to work fulltime at Loving Arms.
The board set a goal of helping 2000 families.
To help meet the growing need, three years ago they moved into a leased building in Rickit Rd. Now it is full.
Previously they had worked from home, then a shed and had items stored at various locations around Waipa district.
Sharni says they never expected to help 5000 families.
To put things in perspective, in the first five years they helped 500 mums and reached 1000 after seven years.
Now they are getting three or four registrations per day.
Sharni is still running Loving Arms and Jamie has taken on 20 hours of work each week to keep the family afloat.
They tirelessly keep working to fulfil their initial goal and acknowledge the great team of volunteers, financial and other supporters and businesses that help make it work.
Loving Arms has between 20 and 24 volunteers who turn up each week to clean, sort, pack and deliver about 25 boxes of clothing and other necessary items for a family with a baby.
These include sanitary items,
nappies, cots, pushchairs and prams and car seats.
Loving Arms also has a trained car seat technician employed to check and sign off on the safety of the car seats.
Rising costs just to run Loving Arms, plus tougher times to attract funds, means Loving Arms’ organisers have had to develop strategies to keep them on their game.
Helping someone can be as simple as giving a bit of time.
Sharni says the older generation knows a lot about knitting, sewing and mending so they make sure all the clothes are in great condition before they are sent out, or produce baby blankets or other useful items.
Donations form another key to Loving Arms’ success.
Clothing from premature to size 2 is accepted, as well as baby furniture, prams and pushchairs, car seats and cash donations.
There are a range of financial options that are designed to be affordable but provide an ongoing income and certainty.
Jamie says people will be aiding a proven cause.
He says each care package has a value of about $1000, which means Loving Arms has contributed $5 million worth of value to the community.
Anyone who can help can contact Loving Arms to find out about options. lovingarms.org.nz info@lovingarms.org.nz tinyurl.com/LA2020MonthlySupport