Ornaments on Oakridge’s “Giving Tree” benefit the Aurora Food Pantry

If you're looking for a unique holiday gift that will not only bring smiles to faces but help the community at the same time, consider stopping by Oakridge Fashions to see what their “Giving Tree” has to offer.

Now through Christmas, a variety of plush holiday ornaments, all in the shape of mice, are up for grabs at prices ranging from $5 - $12 with all proceeds benefiting the Aurora Food Pantry.

“We have never had a tree in the store, and we decided that given the year we're all experiencing, we needed a little joy,” said Deb Clark, owner of Oakridge Fashions. “We first thought to just have a beautiful tree in the middle of the store but, as soon as we did, we thought, ‘this tree has to be doing something good.' Everyone is willing to help one another and this community has been so good to us and helped us, we felt this was certainly an opportunity for us to help the community.

“The first thing that came to our minds and hearts was the fact a lot of families have been hit economically and, let's face it, at Christmastime that is hard in many ways; certainly, it impacts ordinary, everyday budgets like putting a good meal on the table. We thought this was the perfect time to support the Aurora Food Pantry.”

Oakridge Fashions has a long history of giving, spearheading initiatives for local organizations as varied as the Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation, Welcoming Arms and The Clothes Closet at Trinity Anglican Church.

To get the ball rolling for the Aurora Food Pantry, the store kicked things off with a $1,000 donation before inviting the community to come into the store and help top up their donation.

“We put 144 ornaments on the tree initially and it got empty,” said Ms. Clark, standing in front of the tree on Monday evening, of when she first spread the word through their customer base. “We put on a second batch of ornaments and the tree got emptied. This is our fourth batch.

“People are responding. They think they're pretty cute anyway, but a lot of people are choosing to give these gifts to children and give the story to the child, too, about how the ornament is also part of giving and supporting. It's a little bit of a teachable moment and a lot of ladies are coming in and instead of their typical gift exchange for their girlfriends or offices, they are doing this and giving the ornaments to one another.”

Oakridge's “Giving Tree” might be going through its fourth batch of ornaments, but the boutique says it is prepared to keep the initiative going right through to Christmas. For them, it's a simple purchase, but each purchase adds up to something “amazing” – including supporting local needs well beyond the holiday season.

“COVID-19 has hit a lot of families very hard and even right here in Aurora there are families who are going to have difficulty with their budget at this time of year,” says Ms. Clark. “One thing the Aurora Food Pantry told me was January is always a big concern because maybe food donations that they normally see in the month of December stop, naturally, after the holidays are over and yet people who are in need of support for their food budgets may find themselves still in need just as much in January.

“One of the reasons we all say ‘Shop Local' is local businesses are in the best position to support the local community and we take that seriously. By coming on in and browsing, saying hello, maybe picking up something for Christmas or for someone on their list or supporting this campaign, they are helping everyone in our community. We just want to be inclusive, we just want to invite as many people as possible. We recognize that not everybody is in a position these days to make an independent donation, but we thought many people might be in a position to buy a $5, $10, or $12 ornament.”

By press time this week, the initiative had raised nearly $2,000 and the store would like to reach $2,500 by the end of the campaign.

Oakridge Fashions is located in the Aurora Shopping Centre on Yonge Street at Murray Drive. For more information, visit oakridgefashions.com.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter