Choosing to leave an abusive partner is often a decision that a woman thinks long and hard about. But, the moment she actually decides to do so, she is often in a hurry—maybe her partner is at work or maybe he just stepped out to go to the store. Whatever the reason, when women and their children arrive at Nellie’s, they frequently have little more than the clothes on their backs.

The scenario is similar for homeless women who come to Nellie’s—they have few possessions and part of the way we help them get back on their feet is with the items donated to us.

At Nellie’s, we accept monetary, non-perishable food and new, and unused, gifts-in-kind donations. We don’t accept gently-used items.

Gifts-in-kind donations can include many things such as, baby and kid items, toiletries and personal care items. But while almost all in-kind donations are helpful, there are certain things that we always need and consistently need to replenish: gift cards and TTC tokens or loaded Presto cards.

Giving the gift of a gift card means that a woman in our shelter can buy exactly what she needs—maybe it’s a new pair of shoes because the only pair she owns are worn down or maybe it’s just a new lipstick in her favourite colour or a package of underwear.

Gift cards can also be for small luxuries, such as to a fast food restaurant where she can get a take-out coffee, or to a movie theatre where she can treat herself and her children to a movie. These every day happenings are often out of reach to the women and children at Nellie’s.

“With gift cards, a woman can also use them to buy a present for her child for the holidays or a birthday. Picking out a present herself is empowering,” says Wendy Bray, Nellie’s Senior Development Officer.

As for TTC tokens and loaded Presto cards, we need them so that the women living in our shelter can travel to court cases, appointments and visit potential apartments. Other items that we often need at Nellie’s is baby supplies for the newborns and toddlers living in our shelter. This includes Emfamil stages 1, 2 and 3, diapers and wipes.

If you’re unsure as to whether we are able to accept your in-kind donation, or if you would like to make a donation or become a monthly donor, please contact Wendy Bray at wbray@nellies.org.