The Moose Jaw Transition House is looking for the community’s support in organizing the annual Christmas hamper program for women and children who are building new lives for themselves.
As executive director Jenn Angus noted, the holidays can be a stressful time for those utilizing services from the shelter.
So, to help ease the burden, Transition House employees collect and organize hampers filled with all the things a family might need to make the holidays feel right.
“When they're starting out in their new lives or if they're staying at the shelter, or they're just leaving now, it's just a really difficult time to financially, emotionally, and physically pull together Christmas sometimes,” said Angus. “So, we want to make sure all these families have a good holiday season.”
In order to put together the hampers, the Transition House relies on the generosity of the community. They are currently accepting donations of any kind.
Things like unopened toys, board games or books for children of all ages are great donations, as well as gifts for women — bath sets, jewellery, linens, pyjamas or slippers — as not all the women who pass through the shelter have kids.
Gift cards are also appreciated, so recipients can enjoy a movie or some shopping of their own. New winter apparel is also welcome, such as toques, mittens, and scarves.
Donating food items is another wonderful way to help fill the hampers, as the Transition House organizes separate gift and Christmas meal hampers.
Any of the fixings for a full Christmas dinner, such as turkey or ham, potatoes, stuffing and gravy mixes, pies, or vegetables, or breakfast items, such as pancake mix, sausage, or hashbrowns would be welcome.
For those unsure of what to buy or short on time, monetary donations are also a great help to the program. Funds are used to purchase missing items for the hampers and to help plan the annual Children’s Christmas Party — where pilots-in-training from 15 Wing help throw an evening of games with kids who’ve been in Transition House programming.
The Transition House puts together about 20 hampers each year and delivers them on Christmas Eve.
Angus and the Transition House have seen the community really step up in past years, to help put the holidays in a hamper for women and families in Moose Jaw.
“We just get emotional when we're putting these together every year and we see how much stuff the community has contributed and how much these baskets overflow for the families,” said Angus. “Seeing the community come together to support these families, it's heartwarming.”
For more information on how to donate, check the Transition House’s Facebook page. Monetary donations can be sent online through the Transition House website, or by cheque in the mail. To drop off donations of items, call the Transition House at 1 (306) 693-6511 for instructions.
