Nellie’s thanks Cherly Stoneburgh and The Basketeers! Each holiday women at Nellie’s Shelter and in the community we serve are happy to get wonderful baskets of holiday cheer and much needed necessities from Cheryl and The Basketeers. On behalf of the women & children of Nellie’s We would like to say a huge Thank You to all of these volunteers whose kindness and generosity are much appreciated by our women & children! The following information from www.basketeers.ca will give you an idea of what The Basketeers are all about and the wonderful work they do in communities all over Canada.

The original concept was “to support women in new beginnings”. The shelters that many of us were already supporting said it was fairly easy to find groups willing to buy or sponsor Christmas gifts for children, but their mothers seemed to have been forgotten. We feel by supporting the mothers, they will, in turn, find the strength to create new lives for themselves and their children and not return to the abuser, and will feel stronger for their children. That is why our group The Basketeers was created. We are a generous group of around 3500 volunteers with large hearts. We are not a registered charity.

In effect, you start by purchasing a large laundry basket and then you fill it with items a woman starting a new life might need. For example, a kitchen basket might contain a kettle, frying pan, kitchen towels, dinnerware, washing-up detergent, etc; a bed and bath basket might include sheets, an alarm clock, a blanket, pillow, shower curtain etc. You are encouraged to make every basket special by adding luxury items, such as chocolates, scented soaps, cream, bath oils, etc. The Basketeers also advocate including gift cards from grocery or department stores.

Look how we’ve grown! In 2000 we started with 14 baskets and in 2013 we supported 47 women’s shelters in southwestern Ontario and British Columbia with a total of 1,329 beautifully wrapped baskets. In fourteen years we have grown from the original group of Basketeers covering the Greater Toronto Area and now we have ten additional chapters located in Stratford, Ottawa, York, Hamilton, Brantford, Guelph, Thunder Bay, Prince Edward County, Durham, Penticton, BC and Montreal, QC. All chapters have their own drop off locations, on the same day.

Please click here to volunteer with The Basketeers!