Featured charity: AberNecessities

Inspired by the season of giving (but not just for Christmas) we are are going to be featuring and raising the profile of local charities from across Aberdeen City and Shire.

We’ll be featuring different charities each week on our social channels and website, helping to raise awareness of the diverse range of causes that so many charities are working so hard to support and how best individuals and organisations can support them right now.

This week we are featuring leading family support charity AberNecessities.

Charity Name: AberNecessities

What do they do and who do they support?

Founded in 2019, AberNecessities is a non-profit charity that supports disadvantaged families living in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.  Throughout the year it provides critical products that are needed to care for babies and children and distributes them directly to the families in crisis.  To date, it has assisted over 8,000 children across the north-east.

AberNecessities runs an annual Christmas Eve box campaign called ‘No Child Should Go Without Believing in Magic’.  It aims to add some much-needed sparkle to the festive season for babies and children whose families are living in poverty.  Each box is filled with around £35 worth of items, including books, hats and scarves, pyjamas and puzzles, which will make the night before Christmas as memorable as possible for the youngsters ahead of a visit from Santa Claus.

What positive impact does the charity make?

Regardless of background or lifestyle, AberNecessities believes that every child should have the best possible start in life.  It aims to provide support to children of disadvantaged families across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to ensure that happens.

The charity receives referrals from a body of professionals and voluntary organisations including social workers, family nurses, health visitors, teachers and doctors.  From referral, AberNecessities aims to have the required items distributed within a two-week timeframe.

Support provided can include basic essentials for a baby to warm winter bedding for primary age children.  Other examples of how AberNecessities has assisted children and families includes:

• Supporting a mum who had been diluting baby formula so much that it was nearly pure water because she didn’t have any money left to buy more.
• Giving underwear to a toddler just out of nappies and who was going to nursery without any underwear because their mum could not afford to buy any.
• Providing clothing and toys for a mother who fled domestic violence with her three children and had nothing for them to wear or play with.

How can you help AberNecessities?

At short notice, AberNecessities supports children and families facing a variety of challenges and therefore requires a range of items to meet these needs.  This can include – but is not limited to – good quality, nearly new clothes, shoes, bedding and equipment.  Donations of maternity clothing are also welcomed for expectant mums, while formula milk, nappies, wipes, toiletries and baby equipment are regularly needed for newborns and young babies.

Donating £10 can purchase 300 size one nappies, while £20 allows two cartons of formula milk to be provided for a baby and £50 buys a maternity bag with clothing and toiletries for a mum to be.

As with any charity, AberNecessities also requires the assistance of volunteers to help deliver its day-to-day operations.  There are many ways volunteers can make a difference, including:

• Helping to sort through donations at the charity’s office to get them ready for distribution.
• Washing donated clothes to ensure everything that is distributed is clean, fresh and ready to wear.
• Dropping off donations to health centres, charity offices and other locations across the north-east.
• Organising an event to raise funds for the charity.
• Joining the AberNecessities knitting group and creating a range of clothing, blankets and toys for babies and young children.

How you can find out more?

Find out more about AberNecessities by visiting www.abernecessities.co.uk or by following them on Facebook and LinkedIn.