A grassroots not-for-profit with a big heart
Big Group Hug is an organisation serving local communities to tackle child poverty. We help vulnerable children who are living in crisis by distributing essential items in times of need.
We’re committed to supporting every young family who asks for help while ensuring that the child remains the focus of everything we do.
Do you remember the feeling of a hug when you were a child?
The warmth. The safety. The spontaneous smile that surfaced mid-hug. There’s nothing better.
That’s the feeling that drives us! We want every child who lives in poverty to feel the warmth of our collective hug.
The evolution of a hug
HUG
A hug that’s given freely and asks for nothing in return.
BIG HUG
A hug injected with extra care and compassion for someone in need.
BIG GROUP HUG
A collective hug that radiates generosity and warmth when we rally together as a community.
This is the hug that makes a huge difference.
Kindness and generosity are at the heart of everything we do
Our name represents the community-driven ethos we stand for. We rally for public participation to fight childhood poverty in Australia. We develop strong, mutually beneficial partnerships with social service agencies that work with children and their families. We also work with government, educational, and community organisations to build awareness and facilitate involvement.
Most importantly, we are YOU!
The important questions:
Why? Who? How?
Why we help
We want to build resilient families and alleviate financial stress, so no child starts life disadvantaged based on a lack of necessities.
Who we help
We help vulnerable children living in crisis, so they’ll not only survive but also thrive in early life.
How we help
We supply families with essential items for kids including clothing, toiletries, books and toys.
Who we are
We are a community of people who want to ensure no child goes without the essentials.
How we help?
We ask you to donate your time, talent, or treasure (money or material) to support kids in need.
We focus on the big picture while acting at the local level.
Founders and directors:
Angela Wood and
Geraldine Camilleri
Big Group Hug founder, Angela Wood, has always had a passion for helping children. As a teacher and mother of three, she holds a strong belief that all children have the universal right to be safe, nurtured and well-fed with access to essential items, housing and education.
Two things planted the seed for what was to become Big Group Hug. Firstly, Angela read an article describing a mum-to-be, seven months pregnant and seeking asylum, with none of the essentials she needed to provide care for her baby. Secondly, she came across a perfectly good pram disposed of on the footpath. This motivated Angela to redistribute many of her own pre-loved items to families in her local area who were visibly struggling.
In the infancy of Big Group Hug, Angela was called upon to support a very vulnerable mum. This provided the impetus for Geraldine Camilleri, a successful business leader, to donate a car full of items to the cause. In addition, Geraldine offered her professional skills to help and immediately became integral to the early and continuing success of Big Group Hug.
As directors, Geraldine and Angela’s complementary skills, along with a shared drive to tackle disadvantage (not to mention a lot of patience, good humour and big hearts) continue to be the source of strength behind Big Group Hug.
The hug that keeps on giving
Oh, how we’ve grown! Big Group Hug now operates out of two warehouses that accommodate donations – almost packed to the rafters! We are currently supported by over 300 volunteers. And the guiding principle of giving generously without expecting anything in return remains at the core of what drives them.
