Care, compassion in a shoebox

Campaign aims to help 1,000 Niagara women living in shelters

The Shoebox Project is back for another virtual year.

This is the eighth year for the campaign, which fills shoeboxes with little gifts for women who are living in shelters over the holidays. Last year, the St. Catharines chapter grew to include all of Niagara.

Organizers chose to carry it out online again this year to keep everyone safe during COVID-19, but hope to return to their original format next year, said Shoebox Niagara chapter co-ordinator Jess Boulay.

“It’s supposed to be, a woman gets a heartfelt gift box of little luxuries so that she can treat herself,” she said. “The community loves doing them, they love having small parties where they get together, they love having work drives where they are building boxes.”

In a non-pandemic year, the boxes would include a handwritten note along with small luxury items. This year, though, Boulay is asking for cash donations or $25 Walmart gift cards.

“We asked the shelters, they preferred the Walmart gift cards so out of respect for what the shelters are looking for — and it’s easy — they can buy what they want there,” she said.

“There’s a little bit of everything there and it’s affordable, so it’s the best bang for your buck.”

The project has grown steadily over the years and now serves 16 shelters and programs around Niagara.

“We have a goal of 350 (gift cards) for women staying in shelters this year, but there are approximately 1,000 women accessing outreach programs. So we really want to hit 1,000,” Boulay said.

“Last year, we did 875. I’m feeling pretty good about it, so hoping that happens.”

This year, a silent auction on the website ShoeboxProject.ca/chapters/niagara, runs until Monday and includes items from local businesses such as gift cards, gift baskets and jewelry.

The campaign itself runs until Dec. 3, although Boulay says cash donations will still be accepted after the deadline through the website.

Local businesses have also stepped up to provide other ways to support the Shoebox Project.

“LivEm Jewelry, 10 per cent of proceeds go to us, CHZ PLZ is donating $2 from every charcuterie box for the month of November,” said Boulay. “Hometown Ice Cream has a special s’mores cookie that the proceeds go to us, so there is a few different ways to support us outside of doing the auction or donation directly online.”

Boulay said one of the best things this year is the new people who have come on board to help run the program. Last year it was just Boulay and a couple of volunteers, and she said the work was overwhelming at times. With six people on the team now, she can take a step back. Lending a hand are Emma and Olivia Massis, the young founders of LivEm Jewelry. The sisters have supported the Shoebox Project for three years.

This year they decided to kick things up a notch. The Ridley College students upped their goal to 250 letters, started a Shoebox club at school with 32 members, and are donating 10 per cent of profits from the beaded jewelry business they began this past summer. They recently signed over a cheque for $500 to Boulay for the campaign.

In addition to getting more people involved, the club aims to bring awareness to social issues particularly around the struggles faced by the women in the community. “We had an Indigenous woman (April Mitchell-Boudreau) come and talk about women who are homeless or at risk in the Indigenous community,” said Olivia. “We also had cardmaking from scratch.”

Mitchell-Boudreau is a Turtle clan Mohawk and founder of Lofttan Jewelry.

Mitchell-Boudreau has a few words of advice for anyone looking to get involved.

“If you see something going on that is unjust, or you want to try and help, you should go for it,” she said.