Help for 5000 families Loving Arms flourishing from seed planted 10 years ago

• Published date: 18 April 2024
• Author: Dean Taylor
• Publication title: Te Awamutu Courier

Her goal was to help that one mum so she gave what she could and turned to social media for more help

Soon she had enough donated clothing and vouchers to help 10 new mums. The seed for Loving Arms was sown.

And now that seed has flourished beyond expectations, with Loving Arms husband and wife team of Sharni and Jamie Budd signing on their 5000th family needing help.

The original goal remains the same: Every baby matters and every family counts.

Sharni’s vision was to see that every baby born in the community was adequately clothed and every new family cared for, supported and encouraged during that all-important time after the birth and throughout the child’s first year.

It is a Waikato-wide organisation, helping mums from the Coromandel to Tokoroa, but Covid and the cost-of-living crisis have seen the net spread even wider when resources allow.

Sharni says that for the first time, double-income families are coming to Loving Arms for help, as even they are struggling with the cost of living.

Jamie says it is bittersweet, knowing they are doing what they can, but the need is still growing.

Looking after babies is often just part of the problem, so Loving Arms also gets requests that don’t fit their remit. These are referred to other agencies.

They get several of their clients through referrals and work closely with social workers, Kirikiriroa Family Services Trust, midwives, Plunket, Winz, Oranga Tamariki, community workers, health workers, police and HeretoHelpU.

The numbers keep growing and that has meant big changes for the Budd family.

Four years ago they formed the Loving Arms Charitable Trust, with Jamie serving as chairman of the board and Sharni as a board member.

Jamie also left his job as the Associate Pastor at Zion Church to be a stay-at-home dad to the couple’s eight children, releasing Sharni to work fulltime at Loving Arms.

The board set a goal of helping 2000 families.

To help meet the growing need, three years ago they moved into a leased building in Rickit Rd. Now it is full.

Previously they had worked from home, then a shed and had items stored at various locations around Waipa district.

Sharni says they...