Double Your Impact – EOFY Appeal

Aimee is the kind of kid who tries to take up as little space as possible.

When she’s hungry, she doesn’t always say so.

“Sometimes I choose not to ask for food, because it’s easier to go hungry rather than upset anyone or risk them not helping me in the future.”

That’s what childhood poverty can look like. Not always loud. Often quiet. Heavy. Carried by kids who are already trying their best.

We see it every day.

A child arrives at school with no breakfast and no lunch packed. Another is too scared to ask for money for a Year 6 leavers shirt, because they know money is tight and they don’t want to add pressure at home. Some hear parents arguing over bills. For some, that stress escalates into family violence. And for too many kids, home doesn’t feel like a safe place.

Tahlia told us what it feels like when you can’t access what other kids take for granted:

“When you don’t have access to the same things other kids do, you feel different, like an outsider.”

These are the realities some of our 12 Buckets kids live with — and they shouldn’t have to.

The problem: childhood poverty is growing, and it hurts learning

The Valuing Children Initiative says 1 in 6 Australian children live in poverty as part of their End Child Poverty campaign — and this statistic is likely to increase in the near future.

Poverty diminishes children’s ability to learn and thrive. In 2024, the Australian Early Development Census found nearly one in four children (23.5%) were developmentally vulnerable in at least one area when they started school. For children in the most disadvantaged areas, more than one in three (35%) started school developmentally vulnerable.

When children start behind — or fall behind — the consequences can last a lifetime.

Our solution: safe, consistent mentoring + practical support

At 12 Buckets, we create a place where kids can exhale.

A place where they’re not “the kid who doesn’t have.” Not “the kid who’s always in trouble.”

Just a kid — safe, supported, and seen.

For over 15 years, we’ve been building mentoring programs that provide what’s often missing:

A safe space where kids can breathe, belong, and be themselves
A trusted adult mentor who shows up consistently and cares
Fresh food and practical support (including food to take home when needed)
Life skills and confidence-building experiences
A place that isn’t school and isn’t family — but still feels safe

Kelly-Marie described what some afternoons looked like growing up:

“Straight from school my mum would say it’s time to go to other people’s houses… we would line up and collect food from local drop-off points. It was a lot doing this straight after school.”

That’s why practical support matters.

We see the relief on a child’s face when they’re given fresh food — and the joy when they know they’ll be able to wear the Year 6 leavers shirt and fit in like everyone else.

And we also see how quickly financial stress can spill into school life.

Hunter told us:

“My dad didn’t have enough money to buy me a new school shirt when mine got a rip in it… I started getting detentions even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.”

Sometimes what looks like “behaviour” is really a child trying to cope with not having what they need.

The need is urgent — and growing

The waiting lists in our schools prove how needed this is. We have young people waiting to get into our programs.

In fact, we’ve had 6 public schools reach out asking for the 12 Buckets program, and 2 current partner schools needing increased support — and we’ve had to turn them away because funding is limited.

Our inaugural Double Your Impact – EOFY Appeal to raise $80,000 is now LIVE!

Two generous supporters will match every dollar donated, up to $20,000 each (that’s $40,000 matched in total).

One of those supporters is the amazing local AOJ Woods Foundation and our other donor has chosen to remain anonymous.

$20 becomes $40
$50 becomes $100
$500 becomes $1,000

To unlock the full match, we need to raise the first $40,000 from our community. Then the matched funding will help take us to our $80,000 goal.

How your donation helps

12 Buckets relies on grants, generous donors, and fundraising to run our programs. We do not receive any government funding.

We run on a tight budget with a small admin team, and the majority of our costs go directly to the people doing the work in the field — supporting young people week in and week out.

To provide accountability, good governance, and ensure our programs are sustainable long-term, we also need to cover the essential behind-the-scenes costs that make safe, consistent mentoring possible.

Your EOFY gift will help cover the essential costs that keep our programs running strong and enable us to:

Support 150 young people to access mentoring in school and during school holidays (2026/27).
Help 200 young people take part in school excursions and milestone events— so they feel included and connected at school.
Ensure our mentors have the training and compliance in place to keep young people’s safety and wellbeing at the centre of everything we do.
Help deliver 2,500 mentoring sessions across the year.

In short: your donation helps us keep showing up — with safety, food, mentoring, and hope.

Will you help us reach $80,000?

If you’ve been looking for a way to create real, immediate change for children experiencing poverty, this is it. Donate today and double your impact by helping us unlock these matched funds whilst they are available.

And remember: all donations are fully tax deductible and you will automatically receive an emailed receipt.

Thank you for believing in our young people — and for helping them feel seen, heard, and valued.