Larger home for baby bank as need for preloved parcels grows

A baby bank and children's charity which donates preloved items to families in need has moved to a larger premises in Brighton & Hove as the need for its services grows.
Pelican Parcels was founded in 2018 by Shelley and James Bennett, who wanted to gift some of their cherished baby items to a family in need. They realised the service did not exist locally, so they set up the charity to rehome preloved items. Since opening, they have gifted more than 25,000 parcels to families with children up to the age of 12.
The charity has moved from Conway Street in Hove, to its new premises on Newtown Road, by Goldstone Retail Park.

Shelley said: "This upscaling of our warehouse will mean that we can store more stock and essential items, meaning we will be able to help even more families, more quickly and ensure that children have the essentials they need to give them the best start in life and to thrive as they grow. Our support is given to parents and carers with parcels made to feel like gifts, to remind people that they matter, we care about them."
The cost of living crisis has placed a significant strain on families, and in 2024 alone, Pelican Parcels supported 6,884 children in the local community, marking a 17% increase on the previous year. With as many as one in three children in Brighton & Hove living in poverty (Citizens Advice, 2023), there is a real need for support.
The new premises is over 6,000 sq ft, and this extra space will enable Pelican Parcels to increase its regular volunteers from 30 to 100. The charity also wants to expand its school uniform provision by partnering with more primary schools in Brighton & Hove. And finally, the charity currently supports pregnant mums, babies and children up to age 12, but new plans would be to increase that upper age to 16.
Over the last month, Pelican Parcels’ staff and volunteers have built 5.5 tonnes of new racking, packed and boxed up the contents of the old warehouse, moved the 15 van loads of stock into the new premises, plus multiple car and van loads from storage, collected freecycled desks, built new tables from old racking, and spent hours unpacking, cleaning and organising.
Carla Pannett, Trustee at Pelican Parcels, said: "We're proud of our community and the heartfelt support we see for those across Brighton & Hove and Sussex, from the thousands of donations of preloved and new items, the volunteers who give their time or people who give their financial support. In six years, we have given out 25,000 parcels, but we need to do more, and this move will make that a reality."
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