Nest Collective Dunedin branch volunteer co-managers Chelsea Hamilton and Laura Ramsay were delighted to welcome The Nest Collective NZ national manager Natalia Karacaoglu and national board chairwoman Wendy Thompson to the organisation’s new premises at Dunedin Community House, along with community partners and volunteers.
"It was a great opportunity for us to thank everyone for their support — we really couldn’t have got there without it," Ms Ramsay said.
After months of collecting hundreds of donated items, including clothing, bedding, nappies, books, toys, toiletries and safety items, ready to distribute in pepi packs to local families, the Nest Collective Dunedin branch began distributing packs in May.
Since then, it had supported 13 local families with necessities for their babies, signed up six local community partners and brought a new volunteer on board.
"The packs we distributed to the families were comprehensive — each had about 150 items in them," Ms Ramsay said.
"Our first year has gone very well, although of course there have been challenges, as there always are with starting an organisation.
"We are very proud of where we are now."
The Nest Collective Dunedin was named as one of the charities associated with the recent Dunedin Craft Beer & Food Festival, alongside the Dunedin Fringe Arts Trust, and Star Jam.
"This was a great opportunity for us to raise funds and awareness of our work with the community," Ms Ramsay said.
"We are really trying to build up our public profile, so that we can bring in more donations and community partners."
A great source of donated items for the family packs was local mums offering clothes, toys and baby items that their children had either grown out of, or no longer needed.
"People are very happy for their pre-loved items to go towards helping other families, which is really nice to see.
"Community spirit is very strong in Dunedin," Ms Ramsay said.
The Nest Collective is a national organisation, on a mission to help as many families in need as it can by providing pepi packs.
One in nine children live in households reporting material hardship, which means many families face impossible financial decisions, such as choosing between paying the power bill or buying warm clothing for their children.
