On the TTC, walking through the park, or popping into a coffee shop to grab a warm drink, chances are you have seen them before — black or grey toques with a small house logo on them.

These stylish toques are sold by hundreds of volunteers every year as part of Raising the Roof’s national Toque Campaign and this year, for the first time, a portion of the proceeds will benefit Nellie’s.

“Buying one means so much more than just buying a toque to wear in the winter,” says Ariana Gomes, Community Support & Outreach Supervisor at Nellie’s. “Every Raising the Roof toque out there in the community helps raise awareness about homelessness because it’s one more opportunity for someone to explain the importance of the fundraising campaign and the urgent need when asked about their toque.”

Raising the Roof is a national organization that provides leadership on long-term solutions to homelessness through partnership and collaboration with stakeholders. The annual toque campaign began in 1997 and has raised more than $8 million for some 200 community groups across the country.

Fifty percent of the proceeds of every toque we sell stays at Nellie’s. The remaining proceeds (after campaign costs) support Raising the Roof’s national homelessness prevention initiatives.

Where you can buy your toque

There are two ways you can buy a Raising the Roof toque. The first is directly from us. Until March 31, 2022, we will be selling toques at various community events. Stop by our table to say hello and buy your toque for $15.

“Every interaction we have is an opportunity for us to provide more education and resources to people who may not be truly aware of what’s going on in Toronto, particularly in the violence against women sector. A lot of people don’t realize the increase in domestic violence towards women and their children that has happened during the pandemic,” says Ariana.

Toques in support of Nellie’s will also be available for sale at some of the local businesses in our neighbourhood.

The second way to buy a toque is directly from the Raising the Roof website. However, the 50% of proceeds from toques purchased online will be shared between participating agencies in the local community where the purchaser resides. Which means less money diverted toward Nellie’s programs and services.

If you would like to buy a toque and don’t know where to find ones in support of Nellie’s, please contact Ariana Gomes at ariana@nellies.org.

Ingrid Graham

“We need money, plain and simple. COVID-19 is impacting our bottom line”

In mid-April, a young pregnant woman living at Nellie’s went for a routine prenatal appointment. As a precaution, her doctor tested her for COVID-19 even though she had no symptoms.

It came back positive.

Nellie’s staff quickly helped her move into one of the city’s quarantine centres to protect shelter residents and staff. But soon after, other women and their children started to show symptoms of the virus.

“It’s tough, because when your mom gets it, you’re likely to get it especially if you’re sharing a room with her,” says Ingrid Graham, Director of Development, noting that to date there has been eleven confirmed cases in the shelter. “The good news is that no one has needed to be hospitalized and everyone is recovering well.”

In a shelter with 40 beds that was originally only designed for 16, it’s challenging to practice physical distancing. There simply isn’t enough space.

“It’s the reality of shelter living, especially in an old shelter. This is just another reason why it’s so important for us to move into the new shelter as soon as possible. Women will actually have private space and families won’t be sharing rooms with single women or other families,” says Ingrid.

She added that, until the pandemic hit, the conversation around the new shelter had been focused around greater accessibility and greater privacy for residents. Now, that conversation has shifted towards Nellie’s ability to increase health and safety measures.

“The new shelter means we will have more space. We’ll also have more bedrooms and private washrooms. Our current shelter has so few washrooms that staff now have to walk women to the washroom to minimize contact with anything else.”

Construction and renovations are currently underway at the new shelter but won’t be complete until 2021.

To halt the COVID-19 outbreak, all of the women and their children moved out of the shelter and into a nearby hotel. Nellie’s is not the first shelter to have to do this. Staff moved to the hotel as well to continue to create positive spaces for the women through our programs and workshops that offer therapeutic healing, personal growth and distraction during this challenging and stressful time.

Every inch of the shelter was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected but a pandemic specialist determined that it wasn’t safe for all of the women to return—there simply isn’t enough space to safely practice physical distancing. And so, to protect the health and safety of all our women and their children, as well as our front-line staff, we continue to operate from the hotel.

“It’s a complete shift in how we do business right now. We’ve had a lot of donors call us and ask how they can help; we need money, plain and simple. COVID-19 is impacting our bottom line,” says Ingrid.

To make a secure online donation, please donate here nellies.org. Or, you can make an even bigger impact by becoming a monthly donor. As a regular monthly supporter, your generosity provides critical and consistent funding towards our daily efforts to help women and their children impacted by abuse, trauma and homelessness. Automatic monthly payments are easy to set up, convenient, and create a lasting impact on the lives of women and their children at Nellie’s.

“We’re still here and we’ll still be here at the end of this. When women who are at home need us, we’re still going to be here for them when they call.”

2 tickets to Pirate Life. Adventure, Theatre, Cruise. Come dressed in your favourite pirate costumes or rummage through our collection of vests, sashes and bandanas as you become one of us! Climb on the Island Rogue – a 45 foot pirate ship – to head out to sea in pursuit of adventure & sunken treasure.

Discover the mystery of Treasure Island, encounter friend & foe, fire the water cannons and haul up the loot if yer one of the lucky ones – The activity is 1.5 hours, 30 minutes are on shore & 1 hour on the pirate ship sailing around Centre Island

Web: http://www.piratelife.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/piratelifeTO
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PirateLifeTO

Tickets retail for $48.00.  Bidding opens at $18.00.  Bidding closes Friday June 3rd at 12.00 noon.  Highest bid received wins and in the event of a tie we will draw a name from a hat.  Bidder will be notified via email and can collect tickets in person or we can mail or courier them (buyer pays for delivery).  We accept cash, cheque, mastercard, visa.  You have the option to Buy It Now by paying the full retail price in which case this post will be deleted.

Send all bids to helen@nellies.org and happy bidding!

2 tickets – Toronto Botanical Garden  “Through the Garden Gate” Toronto Botanical Garden’s 29th annual Through the Garden Gate, one of Canada’s largest private garden tours.

On Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 18 residential gardens in The Kingsway will open their gates to happy garden-goers in one of Toronto’s most affluent neighbourhoods. This self-guided tour enables participants to discover the gardens at their own pace following a map and garden guide containing descriptions of the featured gardens.

A complimentary shuttle bus service is available for participants to “hop on and hop off” along the route. Knowledgeable Toronto Master Gardeners will be at each garden to answer any questions about the plant materials and design features.

Web: http://torontobotanicalgarden.ca/enjoy/special-events/through-the-garden-gate/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TorontoBotanicalGarden
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TBG_Canada

Tickets retail for $90.00.  Bidding opens at $35.00.  Bidding closes Friday June 3rd at 12.00 noon.  Highest bid received wins and in the event of a tie we will draw a name from a hat.  Bidder will be notified via email and can collect tickets in person or we can mail or courier them (buyer pays for delivery).  We accept cash, cheque, mastercard, visa.  You have the option to Buy It Now by paying the full retail price in which case this post will be deleted.

Send all bids to helen@nellies.org and happy bidding!

With winter just round the corner Nellie’s is need of warm clothing & winter necessities for our women and kids – some of whom are going to be experiencing their very first Canadian winter!  Being appropriately clothed helps our women & kids celebrate & survive our unique weather.

We need the following:

NEW

• Winter Jackets
• Boots
• Hats
• Mitts
• Scarves
• Snowsuits for Kids and Babies
• Gift cards for those with specialty needs

USED OR NEW
Winter sports equipment like- skates, toboggans, or anything that brings back your fond, winter memories as a child

Please provide support today!  Drop off at 754 Queen St. East Monday-Friday 9-5 and please call 416-461-0769 or email julia@nellies.org to arrange a drop-off time

Image courtesy of Naypong/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you go to the Donation page of our website and click General Donation, you will see the option to become a Monthly Donor by joining Nellie’s Promise of Home.  This option also appears on the back of donor slips from any of our Direct Mail Campaigns.  But why would you want to become a Monthly Donor?

Well Nellie’s is like a household. We need to know how much money we can count on each month to make plans and pay expenses.

Our Monthly Donors allow us to have the luxury of being able to depend on a fixed amount of income each and every month that we can dedicate to supporting the vital work Nellie’s carries out at the Shelter and through our outreach programs!

And the amount you give each month adds up – not only in dollars, but in the continuing support to the women & children who need Nellie’s to survive.

If you would like to help in rebuilding a life today, please consider becoming a Nellie’s Monthly Donor!

Families should feel happy, protected and safe – but the reality is that some mothers and children aren’t so fortunate…

Because of what’s happening in their home, some of them are living with the constant fear of violence and abuse. And often, when they come to Nellie’s seeking help, they arrive with a hastily packed suitcase or bag with only a few personal possessions on hand.

Sometimes, they arrive with nothing at all.

You can help give these mothers and children the first things they need to start a new life:

-$80 will help a children start this fall fully equipped with a ‘Back-to-school’ kit which includes items such as a backpack, pencils, and clothing.

– $40 will provide a woman with a ‘Basics’ kit which includes essential items like soap, shampoo, and toothpaste.

-$120 will allow you to support both programs.

They may seem like simple things – but they do so much to help women and children adjust as they move towards a life free from violence and abuse. It’s amazing how resilient they can be, with just a little help from Nellie’s and generous people like you.  Please support our Back-To-Basics Campaign today!

Donate now and help make a difference in the lives of the women and children at Nellie’s Shelter!