Fresh Start, Fresh Heart | Backpacks 4 SA Kids | Items Needed
You can bring comfort, dignity and joy to a child displaced from home – right when they need it most.
Across South Australia, children and young people are being displaced from home every day. Some flee domestic violence. Some face homelessness. Others enter emergency care without warning, leaving behind everything familiar. These moments are frightening, overwhelming and deeply traumatic.
When you support Backpacks 4 SA Kids, you step into that moment and make it kinder.
With your generosity they can provide:
- Backpacks filled with clothing, toiletries, comfort items and age-appropriate distraction items
- Home Starter Packs helping families rebuild safe, stable homes
- Anchor Packs supporting teens and young adults navigating crisis
- Seasonal and emergency supplies for children affected by urgent or unexpected events
- These packs do more than meet practical needs. They comfort, calm and restore dignity. Each item is thoughtfully selected to show a child:
“You matter. You are worth it. You’re not alone.”
URGENT ITEMS NEEDED:
Right now, they are running critically low on some backpack basics for children entering emergency care. These items may seem small, but to a child arriving with nothing of their own, they can mean comfort, dignity, and the feeling that someone cares.
Please take note of the specific sizing below. Their backpacks are packed by size, not age, so having the right sizes makes a real difference in getting the right items to each child.
BOYS CLOTHING
Jumpers size 3,4,5,6,7,8
Pants size 4,5,6,7,8
Long sleeve tops size 3,5,6,7,8,10,12,14,16
Shorts size 12,16
Underwear size 5,6,7,8,10,16
GIRLS CLOTHING
Jumpers size 3,4,5,6,7
Pants size 3,4,5,6,7
Long sleeve tops size 5,6,7,8,10,12,14,16
Shorts size 8, 16
T-shirts size 10,12,14,16
Underwear size 5,6
TOILETRIES & EXTRAS
Toothpaste
Hairbrushes
Face washers
Torches
Why your support matters:
Entirely community powered, your generosity keeps shelves stocked, supports urgent callouts and ensures no child displaced from home goes without the things they need to feel safe and valued.
How your gift brings joy:
Every dollar you give becomes something a child can hold onto – a warm pair of pyjamas on their first night in a shelter, toiletries that provide dignity, a distraction item that offers calm, or a toy that sparks joy when everything else feels uncertain.
Your support gives comfort. It gives dignity. It gives hope and moments of joy when children need them most.
Fresh Start, Fresh Heart 2026
Fresh Start, Fresh Heart 2026 by Backpacks 4 SA Kids brings together two simple but powerful essentials: toiletries and stationery to give children the dignity of feeling prepared for school and everyday life. This is so kids can begin the year feeling confident, cared for and ready to thrive.
Something as small as a toothbrush, a notebook or a pencil case can mean the world to a child who has nothing to start with. Change the way their year begins and maybe even the course of their future.
Backpacks 4 SA Kids need toiletries such as:
- Shampoo / Conditioner (or 2-in-1)
- Body Wash or Soap (baby, kids & adult)
- Face Washers
- Baby Wipes
- Toothpaste (junior & adult)
- Toothbrushes (junior & adult)
- Roll-on Deodorant
- Hair Combs & Brushes
- Sanitary Pads
- Hair Ties/Scrunchies
And stationery such as:
- Pencil Cases
- Textas
- Erasers
- Highlighters
- Glue Sticks
- Lead Pencils
- Chalk
- Pens (blue, black & red)
- Journals / Notebooks
- Colouring Books
- Coloured Pencils
- Crayons (large / jumbo)
- Calculators
Separate toiletry and stationery packs are created and thoughtfully tailored to each child’s age.
To ensure every backpack feels special, all donated items need to be brand new.
How To Donate:
Online orders can be sent directly to:
Backpacks 4 SA Kids
120 Cross Keys Road
Salisbury South SA 5106
OR find a drop-off location HERE.
If you’re short on time, you can make a cash donation directly.
For more information and all enquiries please visit the Backpacks 4 SA Kids Facebook page
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: Backpacks 4 SA Kids
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