FAQ: Why Do We Only Make Shoeboxes for Women?

​​Ever wonder why The Shoebox Project only makes Shoeboxes for women?

Don’t men need to feel special too? 

Read more to find out!

We operate under the basic principle that all people are deserving of basic rights: shelter, safety, dignity and respect. Everyone experiencing homelessness encounters many of the same challenges. Most are confronted with feelings of isolation, low self-worth and loneliness at some point. We certainly want all people to have a source of comfort and support in times of crisis.

There are two main reasons why The Shoebox Project’s mandate is to support women:

1. We are a women’s organization!

The Shoebox Project was founded by four sisters-in-law, who were looking for a way to give back to fellow women and girls in their local community. In 2011, Caroline, Jessica, Katy and Vanessa Mulroney enlisted the help of their friends and family to create Shoeboxes filled with “little luxuries”, ie. great quality gifts that would make any woman feel special, and deliver them to the residents of a Toronto women’s shelter. 

The sisters knew that women, especially mothers, sometimes sacrifice their own needs and desires for the sake of others. Their goal was simple: to make sure each woman at one local shelter had a lovely, thoughtfully-assembled gift for the holidays, just for her.   

Although our organization has expanded enormously since that first winter and we are now delivering gifts to hundreds of shelters and support organizations across North America, our core values and mission remain unchanged.

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2. Women experiencing homelessness face unique vulnerabilities and barriers.

Sadie McGinnis succinctly outlines a few of the challenges that are specific to women in her Rabble article,  Four Things to Know about Women and Homelessness in Canada.  Here are a few excerpts: 

On securing housing for a family:
"The presence of children can make it difficult for mothers to take any accommodation that happens to come up in the right price bracket. They have to think about safety, accessibility to schools, grocery stores, bus routes, and other amenities -- if the landlord accepts children in the first place."

On marginalization:
“Where women are marginalized along multiple identity axes, their likelihood of experiencing poverty and homelessness increases drastically, and their ability to access appropriate services declines. Women of colour in general, and in particular Black and Indigenous women, face sexism which intersects with racism, classism, and colonialism, resulting in a high risk of homelessness.” 

On violence:
“In 2010, 71 per cent of women staying in shelters across Canada reported abuse as their reason for seeking refuge. In the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg's forthcoming gender analysis of the 2015 Winnipeg Street Census, nearly 60 per cent of women cited family conflict, breakdown or violence as the reason for their first experience of homelessness, compared with 40 per cent of men. For many women, concerns for safety continue while homeless.” 

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Still have questions?  Let us know!  Contact us: info@shoeboxproject.com