The Berwick Toy Library has received a $1,000 grant to help improve their toy collection.
Ashlea Knight, president of the Berwick Toy Library committee said as a not-for-profit group with low membership fees, they rely on the generosity of organisations.
“We were excited to receive this grant from Stockland and appreciate their support,” she said.
“New items are always popular because we are able to purchase items to meet specific needs and requests of our members.”
The funding comes from Stockland’s 2021 CARE Grant, awarding $8,000 to seven local community groups in the City of Casey.
“With the grant, we were able to expand our puzzles and games collection to cater for the growing age of our members and support remote learning with more advanced games and puzzles.,” Ms Knight said.
“These new items encourage development of fine motor, early literacy, early numeracy and social skills in children.”
Toy Libraries provide the opportunity for families to access a wide range of toys, puzzles, games, ride-ons and outdoor equipment without high purchase costs and storage requirements.
Ms Knight said although not operating during the pandemic, demand for the toy library’s service had increased.
“As families are spending more time at home due to the pandemic, we have seen a steady rise in membership interest,” she said.
“While our toy library is currently closed due to the lockdown, we can’t wait to have our families back borrowing from our collection again.
“We are attempting to support our members during lockdown by sharing a variety of home play ideas and digital resources.
