P.E.I. family keeps Christmas tradition of supporting unhoused, even as costs rise

A P.E.I. woman and her family have been filling stockings with essentials for people who are unhoused for the past seven years. Maria Sarrouh reports.

As many households scale back this Christmas, one P.E.I. family is cutting back at home but holding firm to a commitment to give elsewhere.

For seven years, Andrea Donaldson and her family have been filling stockings with essentials for people who are unhoused, a project rooted in her own experience living without stable housing several times between the ages of 17 and 30.

While living in Vancouver more than a decade ago, Donaldson remembers being on Hastings Street when a stranger handed her a stocking.

“That always stuck with me,” she says. “It made me feel loved and unforgotten, and it gave me a little bit of Christmas hope.”

Now a mother of seven — five who live at home — Donaldson organizes the annual stocking drive with help from her children, teaching them empathy as they sort supplies around the family living room.

“It teaches them to love other people, teaches them to be humble,” she says.

And the kids say they have other reasons for helping too.

“Because she’s my prettiest mama,” says Tre Gordier, 9.

Donaldson says it hasn’t been easy financially, especially with grocery costs rising for a big household. She sat down with her children this year to explain that Christmas would look a little different at home, with perhaps fewer gifts under the tree.

“I’ve always raised them to think Christmas is about who’s with you, not what’s on display,” she says.

This year’s drive is the largest yet. After starting with fewer than 20 stockings in its first year, the family is on track to hand out at least 50, with donations coming not just from individuals but, for the first time, local businesses and organizations.

One of them is The Village Summerside, a homelessness outreach organization that donated a large bin of supplies.

“We absolutely love seeing other people within the community step forward and take that initiative to help those that are living unhoused,” says Elysha Whitlock, the non-profit’s executive director.

Whitlock says winter is an especially dangerous time for people sleeping outside.

“We’ve seen a lot of frostbite situations happen. We’ve seen people’s health decline rapidly,” she says. “A lot of these folks are doing it every single night of the week.”

The stockings include hand warmers, hats, gloves, hygiene products, treats and, this year, there are a few donated blankets. They’ll be distributed around Christmas in Montague and Charlottetown, with remaining supplies dropped off at homes across the Island.

Donaldson hopes the project continues to remind people to stay compassionate during this time of giving.

“They come from many different walks of life,” she says. “We shouldn’t place judgment on them — just keep showing compassion and love. That actually means more than anybody will ever know.”

People who would like to donate items or make monetary contributions can reach out to her, Donaldson said.