Muskoka 100 People Who Care is hosting a Shoebox Raiser on Nov. 3, giving a massive boost to the local branch of the Shoebox Project at the start of the donation season.
Each year, the project has donors put together boxes with about $50 worth of gifts for local women experiencing homelessness and other struggles. The organizers behind Muskoka 100 People Who Care decided to host a shoebox event after hearing local coordinator Heather Scott present about the charity at their last fundraising meeting. The Shoebox Raiser will be at the Port Carling Community Centre from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 3. Scott got the chance to see the donations the group has received so far on Oct. 11, and it blew her away. Weeks ahead of the event, they already had a storage unit full of products.
“That’s a huge start, which is absolutely amazing,” Scott said. “We can’t thank them enough.”
Scott said it was intimidating to present at the meeting since most charities involved have a formal corporate structure and the Shoebox Project is a more community-based effort. Still, the results have been worth it, even though they weren’t chosen for that round of funding.
Aly Brown, one of the founders behind Muskoka 100 People Who Care, worked with her father Paul Feick to source donations for the Shoebox Raiser. From there, it became a ripple effect. Feick’s friend Gary Kimmel donated 150 President’s Choice and Tim Hortons gift cards through his business Kimmel Sales Limited.
Another friend, Derek Sutton, worked with his team at Quality Home Products to donate shampoo, hand cream, toothbrushes and bath products. Because they provided around 1,700 of each full-sized product, the donation amounted to five skids and 5,210 pounds worth of supplies.
The items were originally in Bolton, so representatives from Cavalier Logistics, volunteer Mike Elchyshyn and Muskoka 100 People Who Care founding member Marion Mochrie donated their time to transport it all up to Muskoka. Baycrest Distribution provided a truck and trailer to move the products, and Dan Brown at Proline Rentals & Bins gave them a storage unit to use ahead of the event.
How often does the project receive donations of this size? “Oh my gosh, never,” Scott said. They’ve had plenty of shoebox packing parties, but never to the scale of the Nov. 3 event. “Most parties are like 25 to 50 boxes, so what [Muskoka 100 People Who Care] is trying to do is by far the biggest.”
Given the complexity of the boxes with gift-wrapped presents, handwritten notes and a balance of items, getting a donation of just one shoebox makes a substantial difference, Scott said. The Muskoka Shoebox Project officially kicks off its season on Nov. 1, so having 150 boxes to start their count is huge.
Any products that aren’t packed at the event will be donated to the project at large. Scott won’t be able to make it on Nov. 3, but her fellow volunteer Christina Clayton and others from their team will be there to help guide people as they pack.
“I’m so sad to miss it, but Christina will be there,” Scott said. “We’ll have a couple of other Shoebox volunteers there to go through and check all the boxes before they’re wrapped, put our little shoebox stamp on it, and then take them away.”
Brown said it was great to visit the storage locker and show Scott what they’re working with. When the donors and volunteers who helped gather it sent photos of the donated product, Brown was amazed to see how much had come together.
It was even better to see the look on Scott’s face when she saw the skids of products. Scott also showed Brown the list of agencies that need support, so it was neat for her to get a sense of what charities they’re working to help.
Other people and businesses in the area have contributed on top of the thousands of items that were donated through Brown’s connections. Locals have donated socks, lip balm, wrapping paper and tissue paper. The Artisan Trading Post in Port Carling donated bracelets, and Food4Kids Muskoka provided sweet treats and tea bags.
Food4Kids Muskoka was another one of the charities that presented at the Muskoka 100 People Who Care meeting, and this kind of collaboration is exactly what the founding members were hoping to foster.
“It is our vision and our dream to have these kind of connections and open communication with these charities that we didn’t know about or that are just starting off too,” Brown said. “It’s incredible to see people rally and support and want to get involved.”
The fact that most of their support has come from a few phone calls is astounding, she said. Several Muskoka residents were key in making it happen, but so were a number of people who live outside of the area. She’s grateful to her Ontario neighbours near and far for pitching in.
They have more than enough of most products at this point, but the group still needs donations of the actual shoeboxes as well as volunteers to help move and pack the items. Because the boxes include handwritten letters, it’s a great way for people of different ages and backgrounds to get involved in the process, potentially even for community service hours.
“It doesn’t have to be women or men,” Brown said. “You can have your kids involved and be part of this event in our community as well.”
Brown and her fellow founding members were happy to see the project surpass its goal last year, and she hopes their efforts will make an even bigger impact. While their aim is 150 boxes, they’d be happy to surpass it.
They’re feeling inspired after seeing people give their time, money and more for the Shoebox Raiser. They started their planning by looking at the example shoebox on the project’s website, so their hearts are full given what they’ve been able to accomplish so far and they can’t wait to see what happens when they come together next month.
“We just started there and have been able to go over and above what the Shoebox Project in general considers as the perfect shoebox,” she said. “We feel overwhelmed by the amount of support from our community and the extended hand from other communities that have pitched in to help our event.”
Visit the Muskoka Shoebox Project website for more information on how to donate, and see Muskoka 100 People Who Care’s website for more details on the group’s mission.