Community Drives... Created and Led by YOU
You can design and host your own peer-to-peer fundraising campaign – to raise money, gift cards, non-perishable food, or clothes – for the families at Ernestine’s. These campaigns can be with your friends, neighbours, co-workers, family, or on social media.
These fundraising campaigns also serve the goal of raising awareness about the realities of violence against women in our communities, and the resources that exist for those that may need them.
Everyone has their own story or knows someone who has experienced violence and abuse. This is a great opportunity to take the lead in organizing a community event, where your donation of funds and items have a direct impact.
Create an event or fundraiser anyway you like – from donations at your birthday party, a school BBQ, to neighbourhood garage sale. Let your imagination and creativity guide you to the many ways you can raise funds to support Ernestine’s!
Here are just some ideas:
- Workplace Raffle
- Girl’s/Guy’s night out
- Food Drive (workplace, family, church, school)
- Gifts in lieu of birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and special occasions (organize on your own or use Wish & Give service)
- Toy & Baby Drive
- Baby Shower
- Sports tournaments (golf, baseball, soccer, football)
- Oscars Night/World Cup/Hockey/Football pool
You can do your part locally to raise awareness and be a champion for women and children fleeing abusive situations, by supporting Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter. At Ernestine’s this is the heart of our work. We see the result of violence every day through physically and emotionally impacted women, who live in fear of their lives and through traumatized children who are shaken to their very core.
COMMUNITY DRIVES:
1) Gift Cards Drives
I.E. grocery stores, big box, clothing stores, drug stores, credit card, Presto
Gift Cards are especially helpful because they are given to the mom’s so that they can choose food, clothing and special items that their families need and want. For many mother’s it is very empowering because they didn’t have this choice before. The cards also help Ernestine’s in times of need to provide help to the families in emergencies.
2) Food Drives
Our need food items are listed below. The items that are always in highest need are cooking oils and canned meats.
The times of the year when the shelter’s food bank is most in need are – March, July & September.
Contact – Khadija Kathy Ali to discuss khadija@ernestines.ca.
SPONSOR A ROOM:
Become a yearly sponsor of one of the 14 rooms at the shelter. For $5,000 to $10,000 a year (by room size), you will support every family that stays in the space (average two per year) with welcome packages, seasonal clothing, school starter kits, camp kits, birthday’s, graduations and more. If you would like to learn more please contact Kathlee at kathleen@ernestines.ca.
Items:
To make an item donation to Ernestine’s please email full details of your donation to khadija@ernestines.ca to arrange a drop-off. Thank you!
Donation days: Tuesday or Thursday Only, drop-off’s only. We do not have the ability to pick-up items.
Every year at Ernestine’s there are more than 1,000 visits to the shelters’ food and clothing bank. These are families that have moved out of the shelter and are still in need of essential services from Ernestine’s. We are always in need of items are flying of the shelves daily.
The following items are priority needs for the shelter:
FOOD:
TOILETRIES:
|
BABY:
CLOTHING – new
Gift Cards – grocery stores, big box, clothing stores, credit card and gas cards |
New items:
Ernestine’s only accepts New donations of clothing, undergarments, boots, shoes and toys.
New or Gently used:
Dishes, Glasses, Cutlery, Pots & Pans, small appliances, kettles, toasters, microwaves, dress shoes
We do not accept donations of used clothing, shoes or stuffed toys.
Furniture
Due to a limited amount of storage available at the shelter we are unable to accept donations of furniture. If you would like to donate furniture please feel free to contact the Furniture Bank http://www.furniturebank.org/furniture-pickup-request/.
Tax Receipts:
We will provide an in-kind tax receipt for donations where the fair market value can be clearly demonstrated in accordance with CRA policies and guidelines. Ensure to include your wish for a tax receipt for your donation in your email and provide supporting documentation when the items are droped off.
Canadian Revenue Agency: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/menu-eng.html
ITEM NEEDS LIST
WELCOME BASKET
- New bedding (e.g. pillows, blankets, etc.)
- Bath towels
- Toiletries
- New (seasonal) clothing (women, children, and youth- all sizes; e.g.pyjamas, spring coats, winter jackets, undergarments, bras, hats, gloves, and scarves)
- New shoes, slippers, and socks (women, children, and youth- all sizes; e.g. winter boots, sneakers, etc.)
FOOD BASKET
- Oatmeal & dry cereals
- Rice (all sorts)
- Flour (all sorts, incl. gluten-free)
- Canned meat and fish (e.g. tuna, spam, etc.)
- Pasta & Pasta Sauce
- Canned vegetables & canned fruits
- Other non-perishable food products (e.g. Mac-n-Cheese, etc.)
BABY / TODDLER PACKAGE
- Baby food & cereal
- Formula
- Diapers (newborn – size 6), pull ups (all sizes), wipes, Vaseline
- Baby toiletries (e.g. shampoo,body wash, soap, creams & lotion)
- Children’s clothing and shoes
- Age-appropriate toys & books
- Potty
- Baby monitor
- Stroller
- Highchair
GIFT CARDS
Gift cards that will enable the shelter to purchase items during high-need times / allow the women to travel and buy clothes or groceries on their own.
- Walmart
- Shoppers Drug Mart
- PC Grocery Cards
- Home Depot
- VISA
- MasterCard
- Mall Cards (Yorkdale, Eaton Centre, Sherway Gardens, Vaughan Mills)
- Movie Passes
- Loaded Presto cards
EXCURSION PACKAGE
Tickets for the women and children to go see sports games and movies or visit museums, zoos, etc. (i.e. Raptors Game, Ripley’s Museum, The Science Center, ROM).
"NEW START" KIT BASKET
- Household and kitchen supplies
- New or gently used furniture
- Bed-in-a-Bag (adult & children)
- Kitchen items (e.g. pots and pans, dish sets, cutlery, drinking cups, Tupperware sets, toaster, kettle, microwaves, toaster oven, etc.)
- Adjustable curtain rods and curtains
- Laundry basket on wheels
- Laundry soap
- Grocery cart on wheels
HYGIENE BASKET
- Feminine Hygiene products (e.g. tampons, pads, etc.)
- Shampoo & Conditioner (full size)
- Deodorant
- Soap & Body Wash (full size)
- Baby Toiletries
- Toothbrushes & Toothpaste (Adult & Kids)
- Shaving cream & Razor blades
BACK-TO-SCHOOL BASKET
- Backpack
- Pencil case & writing utensils (e.g. pencils, pens, coloured pencils, highlighters, etc.)
- Erasers & sharpener
- Glue stick
- Ruler
- Construction paper, spiral book, binders, twin pocket-pack folders, etc.
- Geometry set & scientific calculator
- Lunch bag & water bottle
- Locks (for lockers)
TECHNOLOGY PACKAGE
New technology devices that can be used to support learning and teaching opportunities for the women and children (e.g. tablets, mobile phones, USB sticks, etc.).
SPONSOR A FAMILY
In addition to these fixed packages, Ernestine’s puts together a Holiday Wish List a few weeks ahead of the holiday season for our in-house residents. We create a profile of each family that is staying with us and provide interested community partners with their Wish List.
If you’re interested in creating a community event in support of Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter, please contact us prior to your event to seek written approval and permission to partner with Ernestine’s and to publicly use Ernestine’s organizational name.
Click here for Ernestine’s Community Fundraising Toolkit
Here’s are some examples of how the funds raised from your event can support the women and children at Ernestine’s:
- Provide a safe haven to shelter women and her children fleeing from abuse
- Staff the shelter’s 24-hour emergency crisis line to advise and support women and children and time of day or night
- Provide legal and settlement services by helping women navigate challenging systems
- Provide specialized counselling for children and youth who have witnessed violence.
- Advocate, educate, and connect within the Rexdale community to build awareness on issue of violence against women and what support is available.
It is only by working together that we can break the cycle of violence. Now, more than ever, we need the community to come together to say NO to violence against women.
Remember, when you share why Ernestine’s and ending violence against women is important to you through a gathering or an event, you just might be saving a life. Not only will we provide you materials and ideas to help with your event, we will also provide critical information such as recognizing signs of abuse and where to get help.
Contact Khadija Kathy Ali, Coordinator, Engagement and Volunteers, at khadija@ernestines.ca and let us know if you have an idea. We’d love to hear from you!