Crows coach Don Pyke and his wife Jodie are hoping footy fans will help them give local kids a kickstart by donating new items of clothing at Saturday's game against West Coast.
The clothing will be provided to seriously disadvantaged children at local school holiday camps which are run by Kickstart for Kids and supported by the Crows Children’s Foundation.
A volunteer for Kickstart for Kids, Jodie has seen firsthand the joy something as simple as a new pair of shoes or socks can bring to a child who has nothing.
“The wonderful thing about the Kickstart program is that it gives them (kids in need) breakfast and lunch during school time, but the school holidays are a nightmare for these children,” Jodie said.
“They’re not sure where their next meal is coming from. They could go days without having any real care. So, for them, it’s an opportunity to have some fun, to be loved, to be fed, to feel safe.
“The things that we all take for granted, food, shelter, love and safety, these kids don’t have those things.
“And now we are doing these pop-up shops, which means that they can get clothing as well.”
There will be clothing collection bins at the Northern, Southern and Eastern gates at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, or fans can make a $4 donation at the Bendigo Bank Tap n Go outlets which will also be stationed at CrowMania outlets once the game has commenced.
Fans wanting to help can also drop items at the Club’s West Lakes base.
The clothing and other supplies will be handed out by Jodie, Don and other Kickstart for Kids volunteers, as well as Crows players, at the upcoming July school holiday camps held at five locations across SA.
“For a lot of these kids, they don’t even own a pair of shoes, don’t own a hair brush, they’ve been so neglected and so disadvantaged,” Jodie said.
“So these kids need closed in shoes, they need tracksuit pants, hoodies… last winter we saw kids rock up in thin little t-shirts and a pair of shorts, just shivering in the hall.”
Kids are given a pack filled with everything they need; toothbrushes, sanitary items, soap, hoodies, jumpers, beanies, shoes and more.
“And the pure joy on their faces, they actually don’t want to leave the packs, once their pack is full they just want to keep it on their shoulder for the day in case someone takes it,” Jodie said.
“They often want to wear the stuff straight away, they put their new shoes on, they walk around and there is just so much delight on their faces, it’s incredible.
“The collection is really about just keeping that going, every school holidays we clothe these kids. They turn up the following school holidays with the same clothes we put on them months before.
“We know how important it is.”
Kickstart for Kids, which is supported by the Crows Children’s Foundation, runs breakfast, lunch, mentoring and school holiday programs in South Australian primary schools.
The Crows Children’s Foundation raises and distributes funds to support our state’s children through health, education and welfare programs.
