One of my favourite Christmas traditions is to sponsor families in need over the holiday season! This year, as a team, we wanted to diversify the love and support families from a few organizations within our community. With all of your help and the help of Mamas for Mamas, the Central Okanagan Food Bank, Kelowna Women’s Shelter, and the KI-LOW-NA Friendship Society we were able to sponsor 32 families.
Image Credit: Kelowna Now
Did you know?
Did you know that “48% of all children in single-parent families in the Central Okanagan are living in poverty”? – Statistic Canada. And in the province as a whole, 18% of all residents live in poverty, including 19% of all children, 11% of all children in two-parent families and 51% of all children in single-parent families. – Kelowna Now
This year, when it came time to shop for each family, we decided to do things a bit differently. Normally we do ALL of the shopping for everything on their lists. But instead, we decided to provide each family with gift cards to do their own shopping. Not only do the parents know their families the best, but in my opinion, it’s the most magical part! However, we may or may not have scored a few extra bonus gifts from our partners so that they had SOME tangible items, but I’ll tell you more about those items below.
How you can give back!
The pandemic has been tough on so many, so if you are in a position to spread some extra holiday cheer this year we encourage you to reach out to your local organizations and lend a helping hand.
With that being said, we are not the experts in this area, so we have decided to pass the mic off to a couple of these organizations to share some additional information and resources for anyone looking to give back this holiday season! Shannon from Mamas for Mamas and Marissa from the Central Okanagan Food Bank took over our account last week. If you missed their takeovers you can check out their stories saved on our highlights here!
Donations
With YOUR help through Cameo, we were able to raise $12,000 which went towards sponsoring these families. We used this money to purchase gift cards for them to buy everything on their lists. PLUS, a few of my favourite brands were able to help us make this holiday season a little extra special for these families. I am SO grateful for the following companies:
Saje Wellness
Donated 26 Mint & Coco Kits which includes lotion and lip balm as well as 6 Aroma Rise Clay with a diffuser blend.
Canvas Candle Co.
Donated 32 Gift Boxes which include a signature candle, and some extra goodies as well!
POMME Salon
Donated a gift card for a year of hair services PLUS products.
TELUS
Donated $2,000 to pick up some electronics!
Brunette the Label
Donated $4,500 worth of clothing!
Micro Kickboard
Donated 3 Micro Scooters.
Joe Fresh
Donated 32 gift cards for a total value of $2,800!
Tofino Towel Co.
Donated a variety of their products!
Haven Sleep Co.
Donated 6 mattress packages plus more for Mamas for Mamas and the Women’s Shelter!
Smash + Tess
Donated a variety of rompers!
Purdy’s Chocolatier
Donated the most delicious holiday chocolates!
Thank you for all of your support this year and for giving back to so many in need! If you are looking to spread some extra holiday cheer (there’s still time!) contact your local community organizations to see how you can help!
Happy Holidays!
xo
Jilly
That is so amazing. What a wonderful thing to do for those in need. Blessing to you and the team. Merry Christmas, happy holidays…please stay safe and well.