Bread and Roses Gala raises $126K for Women’s Shelter

Hatters came together Saturday and raised a stunning $126,000 at the annual Bread and Roses Gala for the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society.

“It’s phenomenal, just amazing,” said MHWSS executive director Natasha Carvalho on the final figure which was a 25 per cent increase from last year’s number.

With the economic downturn, organizers didn’t know what to expect when it came to the amount that could be raised, she said. But they still wanted to hold the gala to bring people together for the chance to educate, and show what the shelter does.

The 340 tickets were sold out in January for the Medicine Hat Lodge event, and there was a waitlist — with folks even trying for tickets the day of.

“Thanks to the community. It’s amazing that people come out and support us in this way ... we just so appreciate that and feel so blessed.”

Funds will go directly into programming that the MHWSS provides.

This includes the Treehouse Daycare program, where staff are trained in how to support children exposed to family violence.

Funding will also go toward the Summer Safe program, a day camp for children associated with the shelter that gives them education, support and also the chance to experience fun things they may not otherwise get to experience. Last summer this included the chance to go to the zoo for an overnight sleepover.

Funds will also go toward paying for family activities — often the women who come to the shelter have no money, said Carvalho, and poverty is a factor.

“Things like extras that we take for granted, these families don’t ever get to do.”

So the funds can go toward giving the families a chance to go out for ice cream, to a games centre or to the Leisure Centre.

As well, it will help offset outreach programming costs including for the new outreach centre that officially opened its doors last week.