Main photo (from left) Beth Goodhew, Kim MacPherson, Raylene Hogg, Patsy Tousignant, Susan Bionda, Marti Dahl, and Wendy Konoby, Missing from photo: Debbie Holtby and Carol Rock.
A group of local women are helping to support patrons of the Muskoka Women’s Advocacy Group (MWAG) with some essential daily items.
MWAG operates anti-violence crisis shelters, one in Huntsville and one in Bracebridge, for women who are victims of abuse and their children.
Volunteers from the Huntsville Curling Club (HCC) and Deerhurst’s golf members put together and donated 120 ‘Hope Totes’ to give to patrons of the shelters. Hope Totes include every day essentials that the women will need including shampoo/conditioner, soap/body wash, deodorant, toothpaste/toothbrush, comb, moisturizer, and feminine hygiene products. There are also a few specialty items in each bag like beauty products, a cozy pair of socks or slippers, or nail products.
The tote bags themselves are made and donated by curling club member Dawn Rigby.
Hope Totes operates across Canada and has been giving every day essentials to at-risk women for more than 10 years.
“I brought the Hope Totes concept to Muskoka in 2015 and this is the third initiative,” said HCC President Beth Goodhew. “I have gone to the Huntsville Curling Club and my ladies golf community to help build the donation. Initially it was over Christmas time but we found that there were a lot of initiatives happening during this period, leaving the shelter with lots of stuff at one time. We suggested to Ruth [Holloway, Program Manager at the Chrysalis shelter in Huntsville] that we change the timing to spring/summer to help spread out the giving of this type of donation throughout the year.”
A call for donations was announced in curling club meetings and newsletters and a bin was set up where members could drop in items. Cash was also accepted in order to purchase more items for the totes.
Once enough items were donated or purchased, the women got together at the Huntsville Curling Club and assembled the bags.
“A Hope Tote is a starter kit to a better day—a chance to begin each day with the tools needed to feel clean confident and cared for,” said Goodhew. “It is to support the rehabilitation process and help those who have suffered from poverty and abuse reclaim their inner confidence. It allows the shelter to use scarce funds and resources on other necessities like food, counselling and other support services. It is a small way to help our community.”
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What an amazing hand up to each of the women recieving the totes. Excellent idea!