Shoebox Project thinks outside the box
With its focus to help women staying in shelters over the holidays, the Shoebox Project has gone online this year to collect donations in order to purchase gift cards instead of the usual shoeboxes full of gifts and treats.
“Due to COVID-19 the direction has been do not collect any physical donations and just do everything virtually,” said Jess Boulay, local co-ordinator for the Shoebox Project.
All of the proceeds from an online auction which can be found at shoeboxproject.com/ st-catharines.html — it runs Nov. 19th to 30 — go to the Shoebox Project. Items in the auction include a charcuterie board, designer and handmade items, Niagara IceDogs tickets, a record player and more.
“It’s kind of two birds with one stone. If you are going to get someone a gift already, well, you can do that and you can help a charity out, it’s really a fantastic thing that we can do,” said Boulay.
“My goal, personally, is for
each woman staying in Niagara to get a $25 gift card and a letter from Shoebox just so they know they are not alone.
Last year, the drive topped $50,000 in donations which were delivered to each woman staying in a shelter as well as to outreach programs in Niagara.
This year, Boulay has turned to alternative methods of fundraising to meet her goal.
“We have places like CHZ PLZ donating $5 from every box sold for the month of November to Shoebox, Hometown Ice
Cream is donating the proceeds from one of their cookies to Shoebox, so that’s the type of relationships we set up this year.”
The Shoebox Project will also be at STC Holiday Square at St. Paul happening the last two weekends of November in downtown St. Catharines to spread awareness of the campaign, answer any questions and collect $25 Walmart gift cards.
Boulay was hoping to expand the Shoebox Project this year to help more people but the pandemic has quashed those hopes.
This year, the Shoebox Project aims to reach about 340 women in shelters.
“Things are very tight this year. We really need everyone’s help to get these women in shelters a gift.”
Supported shelters in Niagara include YWCA, the RAFT, Southridge Church, Gillian’s Place, Start Me Up Niagara and Bethlehem Housing with additional outreach programs Abbey’s House, ABC Program and Education Foundation of Niagara.
The Shoebox Project is a national charity with various local chapters that began in 2011 by four sisters-in-law, Jessica, Caroline, Vanessa and Katy Mulroney. Their original goal was to collect 156 shoeboxes filled with little luxury items for women experiencing homelessness during the holiday season. They ended up collecting 400 shoeboxes in the first year and the charity quickly grew to become a national movement.