Big Group Hug is a solely volunteer run organisation that was founded in 2014 to support families experiencing hardship in the community by providing donated goods to help them care for their young children, aged newborn to five years old. Requests for specific items are made through case workers, maternal and child health nurses or other professionals in the community. We aim to help anyone who is struggling to provide the basic necessities for their children, for example: nappies, clothes, nursery furniture, prams, car seats. We pride ourselves on our responsive nature, ensuring that we do everything we can to meet the needs of vulnerable families. We are able to offer this support because we have a truly caring community of supporters who donate their pre-loved goods or new items. We are amazed by the community response to our call outs for donations and see our role as mobilising the community to meet the needs of families just like them who need a helping hand. Our warehouse in Melbourne’s north, staffed by volunteers, serves as our main drop-off point for people donating goods and we have 7 drop-off points in the community due to a number of committed volunteers offering their homes or businesses as a convenient drop-off point for donors in their immediate area. The unifying motivation for everyone involved is to relieve some of the pressure for families who desperately want to provide the best they can for their children but due to varying circumstances (such as low income, unemployment, disability, high-needs children) are unable to meet these needs. We can all imagine what that must feel like as a parent, a neighbour, a carer and so we come together to offer a Big Group Hug and support families in their times of need.