Baskets of Hope are once again helping make a difference in the lives of women affected by domestic violence.
Every year for the past three years, dozens of volunteers have come together to fill baskets to give to women at the Central Alberta Women's Emergency Shelter in Red Deer.
The shelter services the region from Innisfail to Sylvan Lake.
“On Christmas morning the kids will always be taken care of,” said former MLA Kerry Towle. “Every basket or bag that we give is filled with several items. (The recipient) also gets a letter that we've all signed telling them how much we value them, how much we're thinking of them and how much we just want them to enjoy the moment,” she explained, noting that the bags are filled with a variety of things including jewelry, mittens, socks and product coupons.
Local businesses and individuals donate all items for the baskets.
“They're things that they wouldn't normally buy for themselves -- they're luxury items that we take for granted, such as a bottle of nail polish,” she said. “To take time to do your daughter's fingernails and let her do yours is an hour worth of joy that they may not otherwise be able to have.”
Towle began making the Baskets of Hope three years ago in Innisfail and this year put them together in Sylvan Lake with a group of volunteers. They made 44 baskets last year and had a goal of 50 baskets this Christmas.
“This year we're doing lime green bags with lots of ribbons, and the first year we did them, we used actual baskets,” said Towle, noting that the bags are now used because they take less room to store at the shelter. “So far we have 50 people who've committed to bringing 50 items, so we may exceed our goal.”
They did indeed. This year Towle and volunteers made a total of 52 baskets on Dec. 6 in Sylvan Lake.
Once made, the bags are delivered to the shelter in mid-December and are distributed at Christmas to those women most in need, noted Towle. Central Alberta Women's Emergency Shelter can house anywhere from 40 to 100 women.
“Eventually we want to give every woman in the shelter at any given time, a basket.”
The gifts are given to lift the women's spirits and let them know they're being thought of at Christmas, said Towle. It also helps share the true meaning of Christmas.
“Especially at this time of year there's a lot of joy and there's a lot of happiness, but for many people there isn't,” she said. “A small act of kindness of a basket or bag for anyone (affected by) domestic violence, just might help them understand that they have value, that they're loved and that they're thought of,” said Towle.
“Our goal is to get so big that we can help other communities, or that we can create baskets three times a year, not just at Christmas,” Towle concluded.
