Formally Ever After volunteers have been hard at work creating 140 Mother’s Day goodie bags for those in need of a little love and care this Mother’s Day.
The bags – which are put together with bought and donated items – include soaps, face and hand creams, face masks, candles and coffee mugs, chocolates and handmade items such as beanies, scarves, rugs and socks.
Formally Ever After founder Tammy Robinson said she started the Mother’s Day bags in 2023 after losing two of the biggest inspirations in life.
“I lost my adopted mum in 2019, and it rocked my whole world and, soon after, I lost my grandmother,” she said.
“It was a sad time and I thought: how do I change this grief into something positive?”
Mrs Robinson said Mother’s Day could be a lonely time for some women.
“These bags are for the mums who have lost their mums, the mums who have angel babies, the mums who are struggling, the mums who feel alone, the mums who just need a pick me up, the women who want to be mums but haven’t been able to, the mums who are just keeping their heads above water, the mums who need a little pamper, the mums who are homeless, the grandmas who are feeling alone and the mums like me that feel a little sadness on Mother’s Day because their mums aren’t here,” she said.
“I love to make people feel special and important and I want them to know someone is thinking of them and they are not alone.
“I like to say these Mother’s Day bags are like a hug in a bag.”
The Mother’s Day bags work on nominations. People can nominate friends or family to receive one, or they can nominate themselves.
Mrs Robinson said she started out making 50 bags and now it had more than doubled.
“We started with 50 bags and grew to 60, then 100 and we just kept making them,” she said.
“Last year, we did 140 bags and this year we expect to do about the same.”
“I have had to stop nominations until I can get through all the messages, we have so many.”
In the first year, Mrs Robinson said she paid for everything herself, but each year donations from the community have grown.
“This year, Sewing for Australia and The Sewing Lair have donated lots of handmade items, like tote bags, coin purses, hand creams and handmade rugs,” she said.
“Some ladies from the community collect things all year round for our bags.”
“It’s a real community effort and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”
The nominated women will pick up their goodie bags from the Beenleigh headquarters on the Friday and Saturday leading into Mother’s Day.
“We know these bags will help those who need a little extra love and care,” Mrs Robinson said.
“We hope to make someone smile.”
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