Submitted by the Muskoka Shoebox Project
One Christmas during Penny Burns’ early years as a single mom, not having a fireplace meant that her family put Santa and his reindeers’ snacks out in the hall so they would know which apartment was theirs. When they checked in the morning, there was a basket with wrapped gifts. She unwrapped the gifts, and noticed they were geared to her: a hairbrush, nail polish, candles, etc. At the bottom of the basket, a Christmas card simply said ‘from your friends at 1213’, the address of their building.
That simple, thoughtful, kind, personal, random act of goodness was something that stuck with her. That year, Penny needed that. That year it made her believe in the spirit of Christmas, the goodness of her community, their future and most of all herself.
Fast forward many years, and Penny saw an interview introducing her to the Shoebox Project for Women, a simple concept of filling a shoebox with $50 worth of little luxury items for a woman in need of a reason to believe. All the feelings of the basket she had received came back. A few more years passed, her son was all grown up, and she and her husband were living a great life in Bracebridge. Over coffee with a couple of new friends, Barb Baldwin and Joanne Buie, they talked about a project to support and she told them of The Shoebox Project. They embraced the concept with open hearts and the snowball started. With their integrity, dedication and energy, the Muskoka Shoebox Project for Women began with momentum in 2015.
They have grown from 354 shoeboxes wrapped and stored in Penny’s basement back in 2015 to more than the posted 1,296 in 2018. The snowball continues as collectively they have gifted more than 3,414 shoeboxes in the last four years.
Now going into their fifth year, The Muskoka Shoebox Project goal is 1,325 filled shoeboxes, which with the help of over 40 dedicated volunteers and a new larger warehouse will deliver shoeboxes to women in need via 18 organizations here in Muskoka.
Through the Muskoka Shoebox Project, they have gained a deeper understanding of the unemployment, abuse, poverty, and mental illness affecting many women in Muskoka.
Collectively these shoeboxes do make these women smile, letting them know their neighbours do care about them, they have worth, and not forgotten.
Commencing now, The Muskoka Shoebox Project for Women, supported by Dream, will once again be collecting donations of filled shoeboxes benefiting local women who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The idea is simple: pack a Shoebox with about $50 worth of gifts that any woman might enjoy that can enhance self-worth and reduce isolation. The Muskoka Shoebox Project will deliver it to a local women’s shelter or community agency serving vulnerable women in time for the holidays. Shoeboxes are filled with items that would help any woman feel special: make-up, skin care products, good quality soaps and shampoos, chocolates, and warm socks and mittens, to name a few suggested items. Donors are also asked to include a personal message of support or a warm greeting in their shoebox to help their shoebox recipient feel special.
Why It Matters:
For women who have been displaced from their homes and estranged from their families, the holidays and special occasions can be particularly challenging. Often, women feel disconnected from society, forgotten and alone. Reducing the feelings of isolation and loneliness faced by women accessing shelters is one of the most important outcomes of The Shoebox Project. A Shoebox gift is a powerful reminder for a woman that she has not been forgotten and that she remains a valued and respected member of her community. For those giving gifts, The Shoebox Project is an opportunity to give back to someone in your community. It’s a small gesture of kindness that has an immediate and positive impact on the woman who receives it. The act of creating shoeboxes tends to bring people together and works to give a human face to the broad issues of poverty and homelessness.
Fill and wrap a shoebox (top and bottom have to be wrapped separately) and drop it off by December 1:
In Bala and Port Carling at Johnston & Daniel Reality or Muskoka Lakes Public Library;
In Bracebridge at Becker Shoes, Muskoka Natural Food Market, or Royal LePage;
In Huntsville at Becker Shoes or Royal LePage;
In Gravenhurst at Royal LePage or Hair Energy.
Community members interested in donating a shoebox or participating in other ways can visit www.shoeboxproject.com/muskoka for more detailed information.
You can also email [email protected], follow on Facebook at The-Muskoka-Shoebox-Project, or on Instagram @muskokashoebox.
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Congratulations, Penny! If even 10% of folks, who have turned their lives around, would “pay it forward”; just imagine how much better our world would be. And something on a modest scale means a lot more to me, at least, than the over-the-top gestures from a multi-billionaire like Oprah.