Archives for August 2021

Archive for August, 2021

What back-to-school means for the kids at Nellie’s

Posted on: August 24th, 2021 by Nellie's No Comments

September is once again upon us, which means back to school for thousands of kids across the city. At Nellie’s, we do what we can to help the kids in our community get settled in.

For the children living here, back-to-school may also mean starting a new school, away from their friends, their community, and all that was familiar. This is because they recently arrived at Nellie’s, and are now registered at our local school for the fall. Moving into the shelter with their mom has meant leaving their home and most of what they had before.

“We work with families to support the kids in our shelter to make their transition to the shelter and to a new school a little easier,” says Ingrid Graham, Director of Development.

To get the kids living at Nellie’s ready, as well as to help families living in our community, we have 100 backpacks filled with supplies for kids ranging from kindergarten to Grade 12, thanks to a very generous donation from Hands Up Canada.

“These supplies go such a long way to alleviate the financial burden back-to-school means for families,” says Ingrid.

But for children starting a different school situation than the last time they were in the classroom can be a difficult adjustment. We work with each child to talk about the move from their old school to their new school, and what they can expect when they get there. And, our shelter staff works directly with school staff to help moms complete the registration forms, transfer transcripts and create a safety plan. A mother and her child who are fleeing violence need to ensure that the child’s school is not only aware of the situation (and any potential behavioural problems that may arise as a result of the trauma experienced) but also knows how best to protect that child.

Of course, it can’t be forgotten that most children haven’t been in a classroom since the beginning of April when schools across the province closed for in-person learning due to COVID-19. Those who chose to be in virtual school last year haven’t seen the inside of a classroom in almost 18 months. This can make the transition to a new school even more difficult.

“Like so many people, we truly hope kids going back-to-school do not have another year like last year where they had to work remotely for so long. But if they do, we will continue to support them by providing tablets and other supplies they need to connect to school,” says Ingrid, adding that La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso, who has been generously supporting our Children’s Program for a number of years, graciously paid for 10 tablets for the children living at Nellie’s to use as needed.

“We’re also really looking forward to our move to the new shelter because it will have a space dedicated for students to work—whether it be to do their homework or connect to virtual school. It will have computers and desk space, and kids can also use tablets there to do their work.”

Meet Joanne Fong: Nellie’s board member since 2015

Posted on: August 18th, 2021 by Nellie's No Comments

Once a year, Joanne Fong takes an evening or two to personally call and thank some of our donors for their support. One year, a name on her list was that of a woman who gave just $5 a month, every month. When Joanne called her, the woman was very quiet for a moment before telling a story that Joanne will never forget.

“She said that it’s only $5 a month and it’s all she could afford but she wanted to give back to the organization that gave her her life back,” says Joanne, adding that the woman had explained that in her culture, spousal abuse was common and when she chose to leave with her sons, her own family had refused to support her. “That was the moment when I realized it is one thing to know the privilege I have, but it’s another thing to hear about someone’s terrible circumstances and know that, because of Nellie’s, they turned their life around from one of fear, abuse and shame, to one where they are thriving.”

It was that call, she says, that truly solidified her sense of purpose in serving on Nellie’s board.

A board member since 2015, Joanne’s three-term maximum tenure is coming to an end in September. She brought to the organization a strong background in social work, as well as a solid knowledge of the non-profit sector from her work in management roles at the YMCA of Greater Toronto, WoodGreen (creating opportunities for survivors of intimate partner violence to develop professional experience) and working with marginalized, vulnerable clients at Neighbourhood Link. She’s proud of the work she has helped accomplish in her time at Nellie’s—the biggest being successfully buying the building for the new shelter, renovating it and selling the current shelter.

“This project has been in the works for so long. We put into motion a huge undertaking and now we will have a space where most woman can have their own separate rooms,” says Joanne.

She’s enjoyed the opportunity to use her professional experience to serve on Nellie’s board in a governance capacity, rather than an operational one. Some boards, she says, are very focused on the daily details of an organization’s operations, whereas at Nellie’s, she and her fellow board members are responsible for legal and financial oversight, focusing on policy and strategy. The board looks five or more years down the line and is responsible for ensuring the organizational structure is in place so staff can meet not only today’s needs, but can continue to meet clients’ evolving and increasingly complex needs.

“Through my time serving on the board, I’ve met some incredibly talented and highly skilled women whom I’m proud to know and trust. We come from all walks of life; while we’re professionals, several of us have experienced being marginalized, the challenges of being low-income, etc. so we bring many perspectives to the table. I hope that the new members coming in feel as enriched by the experience as I have been and feel that the work they do truly makes a difference.”

Thank you, Joanne for your time and service to Nellie’s.

Meet Jamuna: The Coordinator who keeps our shelter running

Posted on: August 4th, 2021 by Nellie's No Comments

The day-to-day operations of Nellie’s shelter building runs smoothly in a large part because of the efforts of Jamuna Gurung. As a House Coordinator, Jamuna’s job is to ensure our shelter always meets (or even exceeds) the City of Toronto’s Shelter standards for health and safety, while also overseeing the food service department and making sure we have nutritious meals to serve to the women and their children living here. As well, since the start of the pandemic, it’s been her job to make sure there is always enough PPE on hand for staff and residents.

She’s quick, however, to share any praise for her work.

“It’s a team effort,” says Jamuna. “Everyone here works very hard and I’m very grateful to those people who have been on the front-lines with me to work with the residents of Nellie’s. When you work alone, you do so little, but when you work as a team you can do so much.”

Jamuna came to Nellie’s six years ago after studying Food and Nutrition Management at George Brown College. She uses her expertise to ensure food safety protocols meet Public Health Standards and to prepare weekly menus for shelter residents that not only adhere to Canada’s Food Guide but also meet the dietary restrictions of those living in the house at any given time.

“If someone says they have diabetes, we make sure we’re accommodating meals with non-starchy foods and vegetables,” says Jamuna, adding she is a certified member of the Canadian Society of Nutrition Management. “If someone says they don’t eat meat, we make sure that that person still gets enough protein in their diet through plant-based protein and meat alternative such a tofu and legumes.” Before the pandemic, Jamuna also ran series of healthy eating workshops for the women living at the shelter. She hopes to be able to do so again one day in the future.

Previously, Nellie’s only prepared and served dinner to shelter residents, with women using the kitchen to prepare their own breakfast and lunch. However, with social distancing protocols, residents can no longer use the kitchen and we now prepare and serve three meals a day. Women and their children pick up their meals and are encouraged to eat them in their rooms.

Throughout the pandemic, Jamuna’s role has also included additional cleaning and disinfecting (which means purchasing more supplies and coordinating with our cleaning service) and ordering and issuing appropriate PPE for staff and residents. Every effort in this regard has been worth it. While we unfortunately did have two COVID-19 outbreaks (one during the pandemic’s first wave and another during the third wave), everyone recovered and no staff tested positive.

As the move to our new shelter approaches, Jamuna is on the moving committee, making sure everything is in place.

“I need to be familiar with a whole building system and its operations by learning about the health and safety procedures that are being put in there. Moving is never an easy task but it’s going to be really positive that we’ll have more space and we’ll all be under one roof now,” says Jamuna.

“Serving people in need is a very fulfilling experience,” says Jamuna. “I know that Nellie’s is a good place and it gives me positive vibes to know that I’m helping people. That’s the best reward and you can’t get that anywhere else.”

Thank you, Jamuna, for all you do for the women and their children living at Nellie’s.