We do this by gifting objects of warmth including blankets, duvets, bedding, clothing and self-care essentials to those who need them in our community.
We want the people we support to feel valued by the community so we only gift quality new, handmade and excellent quality pre-loved items.
Give a Kid a Blanket was started in 2015. The movement was built on the belief that no child should go to bed cold. The Charity has gone from strength to strength supported by a large community of kindness that includes volunteers, donors and Community Service Workers.
Give a Kid a Blanket was started by Bernie Harfleet & Donna Turtle Sarten. The New Zealand artists are widely renowned for their social art practise and work within this space. Their art practise has a reputation for awareness raising and their subject matter includes family harm, war, mental health and poverty. Bernie & Donna are both art collaborators and life partners.
Part of their art practise is the idea of community involvement, which they term ‘Community Activated Art Action’. After hearing a Coroner’s report in 2015 that stated a child’s death was in part due to the family’s damp and cold living conditions, they started Give a Kid a Blanket as a piece of Art Action. After 5 years of action in the community, Give a Kid a Blanket became a registered charity and has created a movement of kindness. Whilst it’s now a charity and actively impacts thousands of people a year, for Bernie & Donna it remains part of their social art practise. They are both Founders, Trustees and manage the day-to-day operations of the charity themselves. Away from Give a Kid a Blanket the pair continue to make social art and exhibit in group shows.
Co-Founders of GaKaB
© 2021 Give a Kid a Blanket.
