Boot donation to Salvation Army in Maple Ridge will help children this winter

Children in need will have protection for their feet when the cold, wet weather arrives thanks to a donation of boots made by a Vancouver charity to the Salvation Army Ridge Meadows Ministries.

A representative from Mamas for Mamas Vancouver made a donation of around 20 pairs of children’s boots to the local charity’s Sonia’s Cradle program on Wednesday, Aug. 11.

Mamas for Mamas in Vancouver was started in 2018. It is a national charitable organization that supports mothers and caregivers in crisis, facing various poverty-related struggles, with supports.

Amelia Norrie, with the local Salvation Army chapter, was appreciative of the gift. She is anticipating cold months ahead.

“We love to get socks and boots donated so we can keep people warm, because foot health is so important,” she said. And not just for clients of Sonia’s Cradle, but for the regular shelter clients as well.

Sonia’s Cradle was started in 2009 by a volunteer named Sonia Nickle who connected with agencies across the community to see if they could use baby items that were being donated to the organization.

READ MORE: The comfort of Sonia’s Cradle

Since its launch the program has supported more than 3,000 babies and toddlers in the community. The program supports single mothers or fathers, seniors with custody of their grandchildren, working families trying to make ends meet, new immigrants, and parents or children with disabilities.

In addition to supplying those in need in the community with baby supplies, the Sonia’s Cradle program helps about 60 families a month through food security emergency hampers, there is a bagged lunch program for students in need in SD42, and 70 laptop computers were donated to students in the district through a new computer program.

READ MORE: Sonia Nickle

“We always love to get financial donations because they help us shop for specific things that our clients might need,” noted Norrie.

However,they always need formula, they always need wipes, and they always need diapers,” said Norrie, especially diapers for babies at the toilet training age.

And, she said, there has been an increase in need.

“As the fallout from COVID is happening we are seeing more families come through our door. And, of course, we have a lot of refugee families that we continue to serve as they come to the community,” she added.