"There's no shame in asking for help."
A Birmingham baby bank is seeing a growing number of families in full-time work seeking help with essential items for their children amid rising household costs.
Handsworth Baby and Family Bank, based on Soho Road, is run by husband-and-wife duo Karvinder and Kavita Kaur Dhillon.
The couple provides families with free essentials including nappies, baby formula, wipes, toiletries, clothing and toys.
Kavita and Karvinder said the baby bank initially supported mainly low-income households, but they are now seeing more working families struggling to cover everyday costs.
Kavita said: “We don’t need any more clothing; it’s the everyday essentials: formula, nappies, wipes, toiletries.”
Karvinder said the type of support families need has changed since the baby bank began helping the community:
“Before, we mainly needed nappies.
“As the daily cost of living has gone up, people need help with more day-to-day things.”
The couple said baby formula is currently one of the items they are most urgently seeking, with supplies sometimes falling to just a handful of tubs.
Kavita also said appearances do not always reflect someone’s financial situation, with some families reluctant to ask for support because of perceived stigma:
“Just because you dress nice, or drive a nice car, doesn’t mean you don’t need help.
“Nobody knows people’s circumstances. People can judge, but the reality is people are struggling.”
The Handsworth Baby and Family Bank operates from inside Dhillon’s Boutique store on Soho Road.
The initiative has been supporting families since 2024, providing parents with access to essentials without having to pay for them.
Kavita believes operating the baby bank within the boutique helps create a more welcoming environment for people who may feel uncomfortable seeking assistance.
She added: “You go out of our shop, and people think you have purchased something, but in fact you’ve just used our baby bank.”
She described the space as “warm and welcoming” and said demand has continued to increase since the project began.
For the couple, supporting local families remains a significant part of why they continue to run the baby bank.
Kavita said: “For me it is fulfilling, knowing I’ve been able to support or help someone else be okay and smile.”
She also encouraged parents who are struggling financially to seek support rather than feeling they have to manage alone:
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of or to be scared of.
“There’s no shame in asking for help.”
The baby bank is currently particularly seeking donations of baby formula, nappies, wipes and toiletries to meet the growing demand from families across Birmingham.
