Welcome Program Receives $35,000 Grant from Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health™
North Shore Crisis Services Society has gratefully received a generous $35,000 grant from Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health™ supporting our Welcome Program, which provides essential care and urgent supplies to women and children in crisis.
The Foundation awarded a total of $1.75 million to 27 Canadian organizations working to address critical gaps in women’s healthcare, including programs supporting women experiencing homelessness, gender-based violence, maternal health, menstrual equity, and mental health.
“Working together with these grant recipients, Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health is committed to making care more equitable and accessible so that all women in Canada can lead healthier lives.”
Poverty is the single largest determining factor of health, and gendered poverty affects women more than men due to systemic barriers (source: canadianwomen.org). Grants like this make it possible for us to respond quickly to urgent needs, ease financial strain, and create a foundation of safety and care for women and children in crisis.
As women and children spend more time in temporary or uncertain living situations, the strain on their well-being deepens. It’s after families move on—when they settle into new spaces, often with very few belongings—that the Welcome Program has the greatest impact. We've seen that easier access to everyday essentials like clothing, baby supplies, food, kitchen items, and bedding significantly reduces stress and helps prevent health complications tied to poverty, nutritional deficits, and instability.
What’s the Welcome Program?
The Welcome Program involves 3 key initiatives: Welcome Kits, Start-Up Kits, and the Clothing Program.
Through our Clothing Program, women accessing our services—and those connected to our partner agencies—can receive vouchers for clothes at Good Stuff Connection Thrift Store. When NSCSS clients need specific items like utensils, bedding, or baby toys, we will contact the store team directly, and a box will be assembled for pickup. It’s a practical, low-barrier way to help clients stretch their dollars further for rent, food, transportation, and other daily necessities.
GSC also helps keep our safe housing programs—SAGE House and second-stage units—stocked with home and personal items. We prepare “Welcome Kits” for new arrivals and “Start-Up Kits” for families preparing to move. As families move out, they’re invited to take what they need from our shelves, which are mostly replenished through generous community donations. When something specific isn’t available but urgently needed, we can purchase it or find creative ways to source it. We also help coordinate moving companies and, when necessary, assist with covering moving costs.
These small gestures do a lot to help ease the stress of moving and create optimism for what’s coming next.
Our Heartfelt Thanks
We are deeply grateful to Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health™ for their commitment to supporting women’s health and well-being, and for helping us provide meaningful, life-changing support to families across the North Shore.