YWCA kicks off Christmas campaign to help women and families in need

By Lethbridge Herald on October 12, 2024.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
LETHBRIDGE HERALD

The YWCA Lethbridge & District has officially kicked off their Stockings of Hope Gifting Campaign, to help women and their families who are in need experience joy during the Christmas season. 

The campaign kicked off Friday with their option to donate toward their incremental dollar value stockings, where people can select the level of financial support that is best for them, or their gift-wrapping station. 

Personalized stockings with Christmas wish lists will begin to arrive in November. 

Lorien Johansen with the events, marketing and communications for the YWCA, told the Herald Friday over a phone interview that the campaigned had officially opened on their website as of 9 a.m. 

“The campaign will run through till Christmas time. For the first five weeks of the campaign, all of our community supporters have the option to purchase incremental dollar value stockings and those funds will be used by YWCA staff and volunteers to go and purchase items to put in the stockings,” said Johansen. 

She said the wish list stockings from clients that are currently using YWCA programs like Harbour House, Hestia Homes, Harbour House support services and the Safe Visitation program or that have use those programs within the last year, will be available Nov. 25. 

“Those are the ones where you buy the stocking for a woman and her family. You get the list of the things they want for Christmas and you go out and you purchase them,” said Johansen. 

She said sometimes those stockings include things they consider luxury items as they are not able to afford them due to their current circumstances. 

“We find that a lot of the women ask for warm clothing, fluffy pajamas, socks, bathrobes. They ask for what they would consider luxury skin care, makeup products, fragrance and a lot of them ask for gift cards for groceries or for gas,” said Johansen. 

She added that the YWCA tries to focus on items their clients would not be able to purchase for themselves or their children like toys, books, crafting materials, clothes and other items. 

“The Stockings of Hope campaign is exclusively for our program participants as they are down on their luck, they are experiencing challenging and traumatic times in their personal lives or sometimes some of them end up in our programs because they have nowhere else to go,” said Johansen. 

She added this way the YWCA can show them they are cared for and someone is there for them to bring them some cheer during their difficult time around the Christmas holidays. 

Johansen said that since the YWCA is a not-for-profit organization, they rely heavily in the community for support and last year they had to purchase some of their stockings themselves as they only have just over half of the stockings taken care of by the community. 

“Last year we served 105 individuals, but we only had a purchase rate from the community of 52 per cent. The YWCA filled the rest of the stockings at our own cost. 

“We’re not going to let somebody go without a gift, so we’re going to provide those gifts regardless. But we would really love the community to get involved,” said Johansen.

She added that for those who wish to help but do not have the financial means to do so, they can donate their time and volunteer in a variety of ways including gift wrapping, or to help staff when they purchase the items, organize them among other things. 

Those wishing to donate their time can contact the YWCA by stoping by at the front desk, by calling or by email at stockingsofhope@ywcalethbridge.com