With the Covid-19 outbreak hitting communities across the UK, the KidsOut team have been busy delivering emergency Toy Boxes to every child living in a Women’s Aid refuge! Each box is worth over £100 and filled with brand new toys and activities for children to enjoy while self-isolating indoors. KidsOut would not have been able to provide 5,273 Toy Boxes without the generous support of the Direct Line Group, who helped cover the costs of each box, and FedEx, who delivered them to refuges all over the UK! 
These Toy Boxes will transform the way children in refuge are experiencing the current lockdown measures. Social distancing has compounded the extreme isolation many of these children already face, with most living through this crisis restricted to a single room with their mother and siblings. Almost all the children will have left every possession behind when fleeing from their abuser, being housed in a refuge with only the clothes on their backs. The toys delivered by KidsOut will provide comfort, with each toy box being designed to promote social and educational development along with family bonding. Toys and activities such as board games, arts & craft kits, puzzles, and books will keep children occupied, entertained, and engaged while staying indoors. These new possessions will help children cope with the trauma they have faced before coming to refuge and go a long way to preserving their long-term mental health. It is hoped that the children will be able to look back at these challenging times and remember the positive experiences they had playing games and activities with their mother and siblings.
“KidsOut’s mission is to change lives through the power of fun and happiness, and it was crucial that we responded to the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 outbreak with this ethos,” says Sandra Doherty, Head of Children’s Services at KidsOut. “Our Toy Box service has been supporting the mental welfare of disadvantaged children for over a decade, and it is thanks to the Direct Line Group and FedEx that we can continue this essential service when it is needed more than ever.”
While some Toy Boxes are still on their way to children, some refuges have been lucky enough to receive theirs already! The KidsOut team have been inundated with positive feedback from refuge workers, mothers, and children, while the charity’s social media channels have been alighted with messages of joy and gratitude. One refuge told the team how they “received some of the boxes this morning and they’re absolutely amazing. The families love them!” Another reported how “These boxes will really help to keep the children occupied. We really appreciate this at this time. The toys are perfect!” Everyone at KidsOut hope the children enjoy all the toys and activities and that they help everyone get through these challenging times.
“It is an honour to support the amazing and important work of KidsOut and deliver vital fun and happiness to children and families during such uncertain times,” says William Martin, Managing Director Customer Care, FedEx Express. “Every delivery matters for our teams and hearing the feedback from families on the positive impact of their toy boxes makes it all worthwhile.”
The whole KidsOut team would like to thank the Direct Line Group and FedEx for making the emergency Toy Box project a reality. KidsOut are busy providing other services for families in refuge during the pandemic, such as essential supermarket vouchers and free subscriptions to Disney+! Click here to find out more and for ways you can donate and support our work!You can also check interesting facts about Fedex including does fedex deliver to a po box on Tracking Advice.
