Women and children escaping domestic violence supported through pandemic emergency funding
W I N G S Fellowship Ministries provides women and children in need, the opportunity to gain strength and live according to their worth. For women and their children who are victims of domestic violence, WINGS provides safe, warm, friendly, caring environments through housing and support services. The charity allows its clients to work through various stages of well-being, from crisis to long-term stability by providing a full range of support services. It provides a safe and supportive environment so that clients have the opportunity to hear about and understand their unique value and worth and begin to experience the potential this can mean in their lives.
During the “COVID-19 Mental Health and Well Being Project” WINGS is providing clients assistance with the self help tools to support mental well being and a way to reduce their contact with other people with help from the Delta Foundation, which has provided the charity with $18,000 in emergency funding.
The funding comes from the Emergency Community Support Fund, administered across the country by Community Foundations of Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada, along with two other networks, United Way Centraide and Red Cross.
The emergency funding is helping WINGS provide additional support for clients, with unexpected expenses of food, pharmacy and cleaning supplies required for COVID-19, while encouraging shopping closer to home to reduce exposure in traveling to multiple communities by providing a gift card for a local store as well as a cart to transport groceries home by foot instead of public transport.
It also provides mental wellness support through tools and resource ideas that will make it easier for women and their children to do activities in their homes and in their immediate community, also reducing the need to travel to other communities.
This is being done through the delivery of a monthly basket (The initial basket might include items such as yoga mat, essential oils, indigo gift card, selection of teas or coffee, chocolates, and/or bath/body products.) The supplementary baskets provide supplies that can be used to help ease some of the stress and anxiety brought on not only by the situation they come from, but also the increased stress living in social isolation with limited resources and increase some fun and new activities for their families, with items such as positive affirmation cards, journaling tools, and family activities like Sundae Day or a Picnic in the Park, etc.)