How Your Gift Helps
Back to Take Action
This holiday season, your gift will be DOUBLED* to reach even more women and families in need
At YWCA Hamilton, we create inclusive, welcoming spaces and opportunities to foster meaningful connection. From women and children fleeing violence, to isolated seniors, to newcomers to Canada rebuilding their lives in a new place – YWCA Hamilton welcomes 10,000+ women, children and gender-diverse people into our services and programs each year.
Here’s some of the ways your donation can help women, children and gender-diverse people:
At YWCA Hamilton, we create inclusive, welcoming spaces and opportunities to foster meaningful connection. From women and children fleeing violence, to isolated seniors, to newcomers to Canada rebuilding their lives in a new place – YWCA Hamilton welcomes 10,000+ women, children and gender-diverse people into our services and programs each year.
$25 can provide arts and craft supplies for a family with pre-school aged children who have experienced violence offering a new positive and healing family experience
$50 can provide healthy, nutritious meals for a week for a woman accessing our emergency shelter reducing her hunger and food insecurity
$150 can provide a job skills training workshop for newcomer youth to overcome unemployment and increase their confidence
$250 can provide Naloxone training to 25 people so they are able to respond to the needs of our community and save lives
$1,000 can provide wraparound supports to a pregnant person experiencing homelessness, including accompanying them to appointments and helping them access prenatal and postnatal care
$5,000 can provide a fresh start for a woman and her children fleeing gender-based violence offering them a safe place to stay, counselling, safety planning and support in rebuilding their lives
Thank you to all of the supporters for this critical campaign!
Gifts from generous donors will match all donations made on or before December 31, 2024 up to $25,000 to create twice the impact in our community. If you’d like to donate $1,000 or more to be added to YWCA Hamilton’s available matching gifts, please contact:
Malgosia Sienkiewicz (she/her)
Manager, Donor Stewardship
YWCA Hamilton focuses on making a difference in three main ways:
We deliver safe and affordable housing solutions with expertise in gender-based violence.
We build health equity and thriving communities.
We strengthen skills and advance economic well-being.
Donate to a Holiday Donation Drive, Host Your Own, or Purchase and Item on our Amazon Wish List
Option 1: Donate to a Holiday Donation Drive
Step 1:
Review the list below of our most urgently needed items. Select the items that you would like to donate to help women and families in need this holiday season. Please only donate items identified on this list.
Most Urgently Needed Items:
⭐ New adult winter hats, gloves, and scarves
⭐ New socks, new underwear, and new pajamas sizes (XS – 3X)
⭐ New, unwrapped toys, games, and art supplies
⭐Cold weather kits, foot/hand warmers, emergency blankets, winter essentials
⭐ Winter boots and winter coats (new and lightly used)
⭐ New children’s hats and mittens (size 18M to 4 years)
⭐ Travel size toiletries
⭐ Gift cards for groceries, coffee and tea, restaurants, household items, and family needs (e.g., Walmart, Amazon, Food Basics, No Frills, Metro, Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, Canadian Tire)
Step 2:
Great job! You’ve confirmed the items you’d like to collect from the above list. Now, using the interactive map below, locate a Holiday Donation Drive in your community to drop off your items to.
Important: Please do not drop the items you’ve collected off at YWCA Hamilton as they will not be accepted. Donation of items will only be accepted at participating Holiday Drive locations as indicated on the map.
Michael Theodore's 17th Annual Food Drive
Items Accepted: Non-perishable food items & cash
Date: December 19th
Location: Merk Snack Bar
Option 2: Host Your Own Holiday Donation Drive
Step 1:
Thank you for your interest in hosting your own Holiday Donation Drive! Before planning your drive, please register your drive with us.
Step 2:
Now that you’ve submitted your registration, start planning your Donation Drive!
Step 3:
Share information about your donation drive with your networks to encourage them to bring our most urgently needed items. If your donation drive is public, we will help spread the word by including it on our Holiday Donation Drive map to encourage community members to drop off items.
Step 4:
Host your drive, collect all items and contact Lidia at lsiino@ywcahamilton.org to arrange your donation drop off and to share photos of your event!
Option 3: Purchase and Item on our Amazon Wish List
Step 1:
Visit our Amazon Wish List to have items shipped directly to YWCA Hamilton.
Contact Us
For any questions about donating items or hosting a drive, please contact:
Lidia Siino (she/her)
Corporate & Community Engagement Coordinator
Prefer to donate by phone or mail?
Please send cheques payable to:
YWCA Hamilton
75 MacNab St S,
Hamilton ON, L8P 3C1.
Cheques must be post-dated no later than December 31st to be eligible for a 2024 charitable tax receipt.
Malgosia Sienkiewicz (she/her)
Manager, Donor Stewardship
msienkiewicz@ywcahamilton.org
905.522.9922 ext 181
Chris Cunningham (he/him)
Donor Relations & Data Coordinator
ccunningham@ywcahamilton.org
905.522.9922 ext 162