Rosie Smythe, Executive Director of The Shoebox Project for Women, leads an organization dedicated to supporting women experiencing or at risk of homelessness, as well as those facing systemic and economic challenges. Since its founding in 2011, The Shoebox Project has distributed care packages designed to uplift women’s spirits and foster a sense of pride and belonging.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
The Shoebox Project is dedicated to supporting women who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and other women facing similar economic and systemic barriers. Our primary focus since 2011 has been on distributing essential-need packages to women that will uplift their spirits during difficult times and fill them with a sense of pride and confidence that their communities want to embrace them with kindness and acceptance.
As we strive to further our vision of creating equitable communities, we have extended our program beyond providing personal supplies to women by developing a new service of online educational workshops.
What problem does it aim to solve?
With the provision of these supportive seminars, we aim to foster a sense of belonging and connectedness among participants. Our vision is to create a safe and supportive environment of acceptance that will allow women to build a sense of community and see themselves as integral members of society. This progression in personal wellness and knowledge will empower women to advocate for themselves, set new directions for their lives, and become active, contributing members of their communities. We hope to be part of the bigger picture of community support services that will enable all women to have the opportunity to live life to the fullest.
When did you start/join it?
The program has been operating since 2011. I personally started working for the organization in March 2024.
What made you want to get involved?
With my past experience working with marginalized women I was on the other side seeing the recipients opening their gift packages with great joy. They were not only grateful for the lovely items given to them but they also felt a sense of kindness and acceptance with the messages of hope in each of the shoeboxes. I happened to be looking for a new position and I came across the job ad for The Shoebox Project for Women and when I applied I was fortunate enough to be offered the position.
What was the situation like when you started?
When I first started working with the organization I saw immediately that the situation for the Shoebox Project was well run by our small but mighty headquarters staff team in Toronto with 48 amazing volunteer chapters running shoebox drives across Canada – including 7 chapters in British Columbia. It is a well-oiled machine indeed that distributed more than 38,000 packages last year.
How has it changed since?
When I first started many of the foundations and donors I was encountering wanted more from us. Many requested that we expand our services to do more to assist women in their journey to life changes. Since I have a masters in education, extensive experience in women’s health and also a strong background in developing and designing workshop series, I decided to rework this idea for the Shoebox Program for organizational advancement.
What more needs to be done?
We would love to broaden our reach across Canada with more shoeboxes being distributed to local women’s centres and shelters and we would also like to extend our community reach with our workshops broadening out to cities and towns across the country.
How can our readers help?
Readers can come to our website to find out more about their local community chapters and their schedule of events. Your readers can also support us with financial donations to keep our doors open. We are living in uncertain times and the Shoebox Project needs financial support to have this magical continue on for years to come.
Where can we follow you?
Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Website
PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
North York Women’s Centre
