This year the YWCA NWT is joining forces with individuals, families and organizations across the community to assist nearly 140 children and 80 family households living in transitional and emergency housing.
The organization has just launched their annual Holiday Sponsorship Program, where individuals and families in need are matched with sponsors who provide presents and grocery gift cards to help make the holiday season brighter.
Alayna Ward, with the YWCA NWT explains the initiative has been assisting children and families for 13 years now and explains that demand for the program is growing especially when it comes to household needs like food.
“It gives an opportunity for local residents and businesses to essentially sponsor a family or an individual. And that means purchasing a few gifts and grocery gift cards for the family so that they can purchase something a little special over the holidays. We find that many of the families that are staying in housing, obviously they’re struggling. So they often don’t have a lot of extra money at the end of the month after they’ve paid their bills and that sort of thing, to buy presents for their kids.”
The organization has developed a set of gift guidelines, but Ward explains that every child and every household is unique in what they might need.
Gift guidelines are available from organizers through the YWCA NWT so that individual and group sponsors can have an idea of what family size is within their donation budget. Family sizes can range anywhere from individuals to single parents or partners with one to four children.
Ward says she has seen a sharp rise in need within families and households for assistance with food.
“Particularly with food, the number of families that are coming to the YWCA looking for assistance with food has really blown up in the past year to year and a half because the cost of living has gone up so much. The cost of groceries has gone up considerably. So this is just a way that we can help families to have something special at Christmas time. Everybody wants to get together with their family and share a special holiday meal. So that’s something that this program has been really great in doing
Ward explains that grocery gift cards are recommended because it allows families to purchase what they need.
“Because we serve a lot of families of different cultures, different backgrounds, different food preferences.”
Gifting toys to children over the holiday season is something that brings needed joy not only to children but also to the whole family.
“The response from families has been absolutely incredible. They’re incredibly grateful, we often have tears when the gifts are distributed and people are just really, really thankful and really grateful that they can provide that special Christmas for their kids,” explains Ward.
“And kids just want to be like everybody else. Lots of families are struggling this year, all around Yellowknife and all around the North,” adds Ward.
Hawa Dumbuya-Sesay, executive director of the YWCA, says that the initiative is about sharing the love and joy of the holiday season.
“We believe that everyone and every family deserves something special over the holiday season. Community support for the sponsorship program has been incredible over the past few years, and we are encouraging residents, businesses and workplaces to help brighten the holiday season for local women and families in our housing and shelter programs by sponsoring a local family,” said Dumbuya-Sesay.
YWCA NWT announced that they are also looking for sponsors to stuff stockings for women and children staying at the Alison McAteer House Family Violence Shelter and for youth in their leadership programs. Anyone who is interested in taking part are asked to contact the YCWA by Dec. 8
