The first day of Autumn

Today is the first official day of autumn. What that means to us is that winter is not far away. In fact, our annual Santa Under the Bridge Project starts in 68 days. That's less than ten weeks away. We are almost ready.

Currently, we have 212 completed scarves. That's in excess of our annual benchmark of 200. There's still time to raise that number to, perhaps, 250.We also have in excess of 100 headbands. we have enough jewellry items to do 100 gift bags. We generally find that of the 200 estimated gift bags, more than half of those go to females, so that's another plus. On the children's side of things, we lucked into some storybooks, more than enough to fill the 30 or so bags we do for families who may have children.

I remember, many years ago, as a child of 12, we had just moved to Nova Scotia. My dad couldn't find work and we ended up in the welfare system. things were looking pretty grim for having a Christmas. And yet, we woke up on Christmas morning, to find one gift for each of us under the tree. My mom said she found them on the doorstep on Christmas Eve.. It wasn't much, but it put smiles on our faces to know someone out there cared. That is our intention, to remind those in need that there is someone out there who cares.

Mind you, we don't leave gifts on people's doorsteps. During the last week of November, we will make our gift bags. We stuff them with a hand knitted diversity scarf, a headband or hat or pair of mittens - whatever we have - a pair of thermal socks, some personal care items (shampoo, perfume, soap - again whatever our supplies enable us to do). The ladies will be sure to get some jewellry. We toss in a christmas card, some candy canes and pretty soon the bag is full.

We then divide the bags up into the amounts each organization receives. It depends on the type of clients involved. Some are all men. Some are all women. Some are a mixture. Some receive childrens gift packs.

During the first week or two of December, our volunteers (usually members of the board of directors) dress up in Santa shirts and hats (I've been told I really should get a beard) and we load up the sleigh and off we go.

We take lots of pictures and share our adventures on social media. Althouigh we use photos of ourselves and of the staff in the organizations we deliver to, we are careful to never photograph clients. We want to protect their anoymity and their dignity as individuals.

So this is where the project is right now. There is still a lot to do and still a lot of items to buy before it gets off the ground. The gift bags alone run us anywhere from $200-250. The socks are close to $400.

Over the next few weeks as I watch the leaves begin to fall from the trees, I will not become depressed as I might have in years gone by at the ending of the warm season here in Halifax. Instead, my heart will fill with gratitude because I know there are new beginnings and new opportunities to spread joy to those who might not have known any.

September Update

With just under 90 days before Santa Under The Bridge begins, the Board of Directors are hard at work with fundraising ideas. Shown in the above photo from left to right: Bernie, Betsy, Donna, Cyndi, Nancy, and Syeve. Not shown in the photo are the many knitters without whose tireless efforts the project could never be accomplished.

Our latest side project - The Jellyfish Babies - started with a simple idea. Nancy found the pattern online and modified it slightly. Her intention was to develop a craft item we could use to sell at a craft table during the fall.We also thought we could donate part of the proceeds to Feed NS. After posting a picture on social media, we found that the jellyfish babies were quite popular and so far we have sold about 50 of them. Last month, we were able to present Feed Nova Scotia with a donation of $44. For every two dollars they receive, three people can be fed, so we were able to assist 66 people.

We are currently in the process of setting up a collaborative effort between Last House on the Block Society and Self Help Connection to set up a community wellness self help group where we could teach others to knit the jellyfish (and other items). Originally, the jellyfish were considered an item that could be used as a child's toy, but they are also used by adults as stress relievers. Simple modifications to their appearance (braided hair, ballcaps, pirate eyepatches, etc ) give the jellyfish individual personalities.

These six are currently on their way to Africa. Two others spent a few weeks in China. Not all of them become world travelers. But, wherever the jellyfish find their homes, they bring a sense of joy and wellness to their owners. We look forward to continuing the project over the next few months.