Joan Bear
- May 11, 2020
- 3 min read

Mother's Day 2020 Unlike Any Other

Mother's Day; a day to celebrate and honor the ladies in your life who have influenced you, who have protected you, who have shaped the person you have become and who have shown you unconditional love. Mother's Day 2020 is unlike any other Mother's Day in the past century, this mother's day came at a time when our society is reeling from the effects of COVID-19. A time when we didn't have the option to freely go about from store to store, looking for the perfect gift to give. A time when we had to find an alternate way to show our appreciation and love.

Just like shoppers looking for the perfect Mother's Day gift, NEOSS has has to look "outside the box" when it comes to fundraising and awareness opportunities. Just because we are in the middle of a pandemic, that does not mean that abusers stop abusing. In fact, reports show being quarantined and isolated together has increased the rate and severity of Domestic Violence. We still need to be there for individuals who are in crisis and we still need to have the funds to operate our facilities and programs as we had been prior to COVID-19.

Our most recent fundraiser was putting together our "Exclusive Mother's Day Boxes". We came up with the idea to put together a box of all things that moms love, and to source these items from local brand reps, businesses and artisans. This would show our support and love of moms out there, show our community support, provide gift givers the opportunity to have the shopping done for them, and have an opportunity to raise funds for our organization. We had absolutely no idea the success that it would be. We set a limit of 50 large boxes which we would sell for $100 (with an approx. retail value of $350 - $400), and 50 smaller boxes which were priced at $50 (with an approx retail value of $200) and to our surprise they were sold out within a day and a half.

The response from purchasers was amazing, but we found that the support we received from those we approached about contributing to the boxes was overwhelming as well. It provided us with such a sense of community and so much gratitude to know that even in their own challenging times, people wanted to help us out. We are so proud to offer our services in North East Saskatchewan and to know that we are so well received in these communities.

Below is a list of all contributors to our boxes along with their contact information. Please remember these local small businesses, vendors, and side gig individuals who have so wholeheartedly supported us at this time. We could not have offered you this opportunity to give such a gift without their support. Only by working together will we be able to change the picture of domestic violence in our communities. It truly does TAKE A COMMUNITY. From our hearts to yours, thank you for changing the world one gesture at a time.

p.s. ...... liked the Mother's Day Boxes? Watch for our upcoming announcement for the Father's Day edition! Want to contribute? Shoot us a message or an email.