Baby Give Back

8 Mar 2018 9:18 AMMichael Hart

Baby Give Back

Mr HART (Burleigh—LNP) (7.17 pm): One in 6 children aged under 14 years on the Gold Coast live in poverty. Baby Give Back was founded by Carly Fradgley out of a desire to help people and provide for children less fortunate than her own. The team consists of four dedicated directors and countless volunteers who work with several agencies on the Gold Coast to give back by providing clothing packs, nappies, wipes and essential baby equipment to families in need. People can drop those items at my office and they collect them from there.

Carly works with fellow directors, Kylie Gregson, Julie-Anne McBride and Ainsley McLaren, to run this much needed charity service while all juggle motherhood and employment. Baby Give Back is a professionally run organisation operating locally to accept, safety check, recycle and rehome donated, new and second-hand baby items. They help families in need feel cared for by their community by providing this preloved and new material aids in partnership with social services agencies and networks.

Such is the service’s need and success on the Gold Coast, Baby Give Back has quickly outgrown its garage storage in private homes. The directors have been tirelessly fundraising the past year via local events to raise the $30,000 plus needed to secure a warehouse facility. These events have included a successful golf day that I sponsored and attended last year and most recently a ladies high tea which my wife and daughter attended—In fact, my daughter took a table there—which I am told was a fantastic event and which saw the team hit their immediate fundraising goal to finance a warehouse.

Baby Give Back has now started the search for a warehouse, but they still need funds and donations to continue the important work they are doing in giving every baby an equal start. I applaud these young ladies for their time, their hearts and their commitment to those who are so vulnerable in our community.

I would encourage anybody in my electorate listening to parliament tonight who would like to donate some used baby products or new baby products to drop them into my office. My staff will collect them, put them all together and the ladies will come and collect them. People such as my wife and daughter pack those products up and they are delivered to very needy young mothers. These people are doing a wonderful job and they really need to be supported, and I am doing everything I can to help them.