Give families in need a Winter Breather

From our hearts to yours, thank you.  Every time you donate to Trellis, you lighten the load carried by struggling neighbours throughout the holiday season.

Winter can be long, cold and isolating, and this year the season brings unprecedented stress for individuals and families living month to month. But with your help, families can get a much needed breather this winter!

Each year, Trellis serves 9,000 people from every quadrant of Calgary. For those struggling with poverty or homelessness, the winter months can be especially distressing. Utility bills go up and isolation often increases. People juggle groceries, rent, telephone and internet bills, with affording the smallest gift for their kids, caring for an ailing parent or time spent with family a mere bus ride away.

Your gift to Trellis’ Winter Breather Fund or 365 Program Support, provides individuals and families on the edge of extreme poverty and struggling to make ends meet with a little relief, a breather, so they can continue their path towards stability.

The Winter Breather Fund is accessed through Trellis staff referrals, providing grocery gift cards or a direct payment toward utilities; this empowers individuals and parents to take care of other family needs.  

Alternately, our 365 Program Support Fund ensures children, youth and families have access to year-round programs that help to heal beyond experiences of trauma, exploitation and homelessness; connect isolated individuals to communities of support; keep families stably housed; provide access to education and employment supports; and ultimately support people to thrive.

The Breather makes a world of difference to the people we work with. You don't realize how a little bit of money off the bills can help relieve the stress over the winter months. It gives them a sense of hope – they can now survive the cold.

- Stephanie, Family Strategist with Trellis’ Sustainable Families Program

Thank you! Your donation gives children, youth and families a much-needed breather, the dignity they deserve over the winter months, and the support needed to thrive 365 days of the year.

Trellis gratefully acknowledges the support of:

Note: In order to ensure program sustainability across Trellis’ youth, family and community pillars of impact, 15 per cent of your donation today will support Trellis’ Greatest Need fund. In the case that Winter Breather donations exceed referrals to this program, donations will be used to support one of Trellis’ 34 programs serving vulnerable Calgarians daily.