Stripey Stork

Stripey Stork is a local charity that transforms the lives of families in need through the simple act of recycling.  We gather donations of new and pre-loved items for babies and children and, after making sure they are safe and clean, we rehome them directly with those who need them through a network of community professionals.   Since we started in 2013 we have fulfilled over 12,000 requests for support from vulnerable families across Surrey. To many of the schools, charities, health and social teams who access our service we are indispensable.

The families who we support are in need through a complex and varied range of circumstances; those fleeing domestic abuse, families on very low incomes, those released from slavery and trafficking and very young parents with no family support.  In addition to the families we were supporting before this pandemic, new families who have been drastically impacted by Coronavirus and cannot cope financially are now needing our support.  All these families face circumstances that prevent them from providing their children with the basic necessities needed to thrive, items such as clean, age and gender appropriate clothing, books and toys, bedding and high chairs. To ensure the most vulnerable families are reached we work through a network of professional referral partners.

We strive to tailor-make every request we receive, with the aim of providing a high-quality service that makes each recipient feel that their local community cares and provides the child(ren) with the opportunity to have the 'same start' as every other child.  In line with the proverb "It takes a village to raise a child" our aim is to create the village of local support that once existed when extended families lived closer to each other.

 Stripey Stork is a community based charity run by local people for local people. There are 13 part-time local employees; all local Mums with children, and a pool of over 100 local volunteers who regularly give their time and skills generously to clean and sort the donations, pack them in response to specific requests, and help during seasonal campaigns e.g. Santa Stork. The charity would not be able to deliver the high-quality services it does without its volunteer team.  In recognition of our volunteers work, Stripey Stork is very proud to have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2019. It is the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK, and is the equivalent of an MBE for voluntary groups.

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Thank you for your support, it really is very much appreciated!