Here at Nellie’s, we are forever grateful for our community of supportive donors. Over the 2023 holiday season, we were overwhelmed by the generosity we saw from individuals, corporations, and neighbours who donated gifts for the women and their children at Nellie’s.

We cannot express how appreciative we are of the many donors who helped provide a happy holiday to our shelter and community clients. There are way too many people to thank, but here are just a few of the organizations who helped us make a difference over the holiday season.

Realstar Management

Thank you to Realstar, whose employees once again came together and donated much-needed items (including new toys, chocolates, wrapping paper, and gift cards) to help make this holiday season a happy one for so many families in our community. We’re so thankful that supporting Nellie’s has become your holiday tradition.

One Academy Leslieville

One Academy, a gym located in the Leslieville neighbourhood, has a mission to fill hearts with hope, bodies with strength, and minds with confidence — something we aim to do at Nellie’s as well. In December, One Academy ran a full day of community classes in support of Nellie’s. 81 members of the One Academy family worked together to raise $3,000 to help women and their children regain their footing after experiencing the effects of abuse and homelessness.

Miracle Toronto

It wasn’t a miracle, but rather a lot of hard work by organizers Nick Kennedy and Andree Moore, which resulted in an incredible $40,000 donation from Miracle on Bloor this year. Since 2019, this wonderfully kitschy Christmas-themed pop-up cocktail bar has raised over $150,000 to support Nellie’s programs and services.

Tobia Homes Royal LePage Estate Realty

The team at Tobia Homes, led by Diane Tobia, provided a holiday gift box with gift cards, toiletries and chocolates (a definite hit) for our residents for a second year in a row. Not only does Royal LePage Estate Realty support Nellie’s for the holidays, but they also provide us with ongoing monetary assistance.

We also want to thank:

• Cineplex Odeon for helping us provide a gift to the teens at our shelter needing support over the holidays, because teens (especially young teen boys) are often overlooked during the holidays;
• The GTA Shoebox Project for the amazing gifts for women and girls in our shelter;
• Santa Comes to Bay Street for providing gifts for every child staying with us;
• The Christmas Pyjama Project from Riverdale Wealth Management, for providing brand-new pyjamas to everyone in the shelter; and
• CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish for helping to cover the cost of buying gift cards for our food program recipients.