How We Help
POPI is a baby bank based in Keighley, West Yorkshire. We provide items for babies and children up to 5 such as cots, prams, clothes and toys, free of charge to local families in need. Most of our stock is donated by kind members of the public and the majority is preloved but we also provide brand new mattresses, nappies and toiletries for safety reasons. We have an Amazon Wishlist for items that we are struggling to source second-hand.
Referrals to our service come from professionals such as Social Workers, Health Visitors, Family Key Workers and other agencies supporting families. These people work closely with families to assess what they need before making a referral and there are no complicated forms to fill in. Items are collected by the referrer and taken to the family. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters we have been able to fulfil every referral to date!
By providing these essential items, POPI enables families to keep their children safe, clean and warm. The wonderful toys and books we receive help babies and children reach crucial developmental stages. Becoming a parent is a wonderful time but it has many challenges, particularly for more vulnerable families. Not being able to meet your child’s needs can be very distressing and may put their welfare at risk.
Who We Help
We help families that have at least one child under 5. Most of our referrals are from the Keighley and Bradford areas but we don’t have a cut off distance – our only caveat is that the referrer must collect the items from our unit in Keighley. We don’t have any direct contact with families and there are no set criteria for help – we trust the judgement of the professional making each referral. Families need our help for a variety of reasons including redundancy, issues with state benefits, disability, teenage pregnancy, domestic abuse, seeking asylum, mental health issues and debt. We believe that no baby or young child deserves to go without the things that they need to live a safe and happy life.
Our Team
Samantha lives in Haworth with her husband and daughter. Before having her daughter she was a Primary Teacher. She started POPI in 2017 after helping a friend who needed items for her children. Samantha had personal experience of growing up in poverty in Keighley and wanted to help make a difference to local families. Starting by contacting support workers Samantha collected and stored items in her shed. As word spread POPI grew and moved into a small office space and then again into much bigger premises. In 2019 POPI became a registered charity and now has a board of 5 Trustees and 3 volunteers.
A former primary school teacher, Rachel lives in Haworth with her husband and two children. Having worked in education for many years in some of the more economically deprived areas of the country, she has seen many families really struggling to provide even the basics for their children. Seeing the invaluable work POPI does for the local community, Rachel was very keen to become involved to try and help make a positive difference to others. She has been volunteering at POPI since the start of 2019 and became a Trustee in 2021.
