Winter Warmth 2022
Annually, WCYR provides tangible support to help women experiencing violence and poverty by providing the items they need to survive the winter months and a bit extra to celebrate the holidays with their children. Through Winter Warmth, women receive gift cards, stockings for children, pampered pillowcases for the moms, and small gifts for the children. In 2021, thanks to generous donors, WCYR provided $24,064.00 to 166 women and children in York Region! This year we want to support even more women, will you help us?
WHY HELP?
In 2022, the epidemic of domestic violence has just begun, and women need our help now more than ever. In York Region alone, domestic violence has increased by 30%, and the public is calling on Ontario to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic (Globe & Mail, 2022). Furthermore, the Southern Ontario Police department is requesting to include femicide in the criminal code after the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA) reported a 26% increase in killings of women and girls from 2019 to 2021.
Moreover, the residual effects of COVID-19 continue to exacerbate gender inequality and create new barriers for women. When the pandemic began, women made up 53% of all job losses and now, women's employment in Ontario has declined again to numbers not seen since 1999 (Statistics Canada, 2022). Without economic security, women are forced to continue relying on partners even when living with abuse. With violence and unemployment increasing this year, it is extremely difficult for women experiencing violence and facing barriers such as unemployment and poverty to provide for their families this winter. Therefore, with your support, WCYR wants to help and empower women this holiday season!
HOW TO HELP
We all enjoy shopping for our family members and picking the perfect gift, especially for our children, and we want women to experience that same joy. Therefore, WCYR is looking for your support to provide women with this opportunity by donating to the Winter Warmth Program! There are a few ways you can help!
To support a woman or a family this year and make arrangements or have any questions, please fill out the following form, and a staff member will be in touch. https://forms.office.com/r/8Zn6g0MRKN
Please use the following link if you would like to make a monetary donation.
Host a mini fundraiser among your friends or family and collect gift cards for women to places like grocery stores, Walmart, pre-paid Visas and MasterCard, or the mall.
Engage your workplace or school! Ask peers or co-workers to participate by bringing in donations & challenge another branch or business to participate too!
If you would like to have a family assigned and create a package or host a fundraiser and engage your network, to ensure women receive their packages with enough time to complete their shopping, we ask that sponsorship is confirmed by November 15, 2022, and items received by the latest December 6, 2022.
If you would like to learn more about the program or have any questions or concerns, please contact
Allison Hermann or Carly Rowden at the email below.
Email: allisonh@wcyr.ca
Phone: 905 853 9270
Sponsorship form: https://forms.office.com/r/8Zn6g0MRKN
Donation form: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/74797
*Monetary donations will continue to be accepted after December 6 and used toward families who are not sponsored.