The trio behind the new pop-up outlet opening this week to help Kids in Need Waikato – Julie Baines, Brenda Rameka and Betty Busst.
Three Cambridge women – two of them raising their own grandchildren – are opening a pop-up store in their town this week to raise funds for Linda Roil’s Kids in Need Waikato.
The outlet will open between 10am and 2pm tomorrow in the Red Cross Hall in Milicich Place. Then, it will open in the same place every alternate Friday.
It came about after grandmothers Brenda Rameka and Betty Busst, together with Julie Baines, started thinking about ways to help the charity organisation.
They all knew about Linda Roil and her tireless efforts to help youngsters living in foster care and their caregivers, as well as a growing number of grandparents raising their own grandchildren but wanted to fill in gaps where they could.
“We saw there was a particular need in certain areas,” said Brenda. “Betty and I are volunteers with Linda [Roil], and we noticed that some of the clothing coming in was inappropriate … it couldn’t be passed on. We started thinking on ways we could help and came up with the idea of a pop-up outlet where we could sell donated clothing and raise the money for Kids in Need.”
The women have set it up along the same lines as an op-shop. They will on-sell donated items, specifically clothing, kitchenware, linen, toys and bric-a-brac.
“We don’t want any big items, like furniture or electrical goods,” said Betty. “The proceeds from everything we sell will go to Kids in Need.”
The store will remain at the Red Cross Hall every second Friday for the time being and will operate on a cash-only basis. If the support is there, and the opportunity arises, the women may look at a more permanent arrangement down the track.
Kids in Need Waikato is a charity organisation that provides personalised care packs for children in care, aged up to 17 years. Its founders, Graeme and Linda Roil, began fostering children in 2014 and grew increasingly concerned about the lack of support for both foster children and their caregivers, and started Kids in Need Waikato. The donations they receive from the community helps them provide care packs for children, made up to suit their individual needs and interests.
Linda said she was ‘overwhelmed’ at the women’s initiative. “We are so grateful for anyone who fundraises for us. We are actually too busy to do it ourselves and are blessed to have people taking it upon themselves to do this,” she said.
