From Small Beginnings to a National Charity

Community Connect began in 2019 with a simple observation: in Ireland, there was no national baby bank.

A small group of volunteers saw the financial pressure many families face when preparing for a new baby. They began collecting nappies, hygiene essentials, baby clothes and blankets — practical items that can make a real difference in the early weeks of parenthood.

Very quickly, two things became clear. The first was the scale of need. The second was the level of generosity within communities. Families who had finished using their baby equipment and clothing — often items they had invested significant money in — were eager to pass them on to someone who would genuinely benefit.

As word of the service spread, referrals and enquiries began to come not only from families themselves, but from maternity hospitals, midwives, public health nurses, social workers and organisations supporting families in poverty, homelessness and direct provision. The response from frontline professionals was immediate and consistent: this type of practical support was badly needed. What had begun as a small volunteer initiative was clearly addressing a gap in services.

However, there was no organisation in Ireland with the infrastructure dedicated specifically to collecting, storing and redistributing baby items at scale. There was no coordinated way to ensure that cots, buggies, clothing and essential equipment could move efficiently from one family to another.

Community Connect was created to bridge that gap — supporting families while also ensuring that high-quality baby goods could be reused rather than wasted.

Establishing the First Hubs

Volunteers stepped forward in five initial locations: Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Athlone. What began in living rooms and borrowed spaces soon developed into structured local hubs. As demand increased, storage facilities were rented, donation systems were organised, and processes were put in place to manage the steady flow of items coming in and going back out to families.

Kilkenny later joined as a sixth hub, while volunteers in counties such as Wexford, Donegal, Kerry and Mayo accessed items from the main hubs to support families locally. A national network began to take shape.

When Covid restrictions were introduced in 2020, requests for support increased sharply. Many families experienced sudden financial instability, and Community Connect responded as best it could. By 2021, the Dublin hub alone was supporting up to 20 families in some weeks, covering Dublin and surrounding counties. Across Ireland that year, volunteers completed 939 deliveries, supporting 759 separate families.

The experience of these early years effectively served as a pilot phase — clearly demonstrating both the scale of need and the ability of a coordinated baby bank model to respond to it.

Recognising the Need to Grow

As demand continued to rise, it became clear that Community Connect needed to evolve in order to remain sustainable, accountable and scalable. The consistent feedback from healthcare professionals and referral partners reinforced that this was not a short-term response to a temporary crisis, but an essential service that required formal structure.

In 2022, the decision was made to apply for charity status with the Charities Regulator. During the application process, operations were scaled back temporarily while governance structures and policies were strengthened.

In July 2023, Community Connect was officially granted charity status.

This marked an important step in securing the long-term future of the organisation and building the structures required to operate with transparency and integrity.

Rebuilding with Purpose

Since becoming a registered charity, Community Connect has focused on rebuilding and strengthening its hubs, volunteer teams and systems. The aim has been steady, responsible growth — ensuring that support can continue to reach families across Ireland in a consistent and reliable way.

From its earliest days, Community Connect has addressed two interconnected challenges: financial hardship for families with young children, and the short lifecycle of baby clothing and equipment. Today, the organisation plays an important role in supporting a practical circular economy for baby clothing and equipment in Ireland — ensuring that essential items are kept in use, redistributed safely and responsibly and diverted from landfill wherever possible.

What began in 2019 as a small volunteer-led project has developed into Ireland’s national baby bank charity, built on community generosity and practical action.

As Community Connect continues to grow, the focus remains the same: to provide essential support to families who need it, and to ensure that valuable baby goods are used to their fullest potential.

If you would like to be part of that journey — by donating items, sponsoring a gift pack, volunteering, or supporting our work — we would be delighted to connect with you.