Three Montreal mothers are on a Christmas mission: to make sure children across the Sud-Ouest borough have at least one present to open come Dec. 25.
Les Mères Noël, or Christmas Mothers, are collecting new and lightly used toys to distribute to disadvantaged children in the Sud-Ouest, as well as Ville-Émard, Lachine, LaSalle and Verdun.
“Being parents, we know it can be hard at Christmastime and that it’s expensive,” Jennifer Aubertin said.
It took less than three days for Aubertin, Amélie Tremblay from Verdun, and Myriam Vézina from Lachine to get the project off the ground, with over 100 people signed up.
“The point of this was to help the parents get to put a nice gift under the tree,” Aubertin said.
The group didn’t know how hard it would be to find mothers to take part in the campaign. The original goal was to gather 50 presents but now there are so many people willing to give, the project has grown beyond their wildest dreams.
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“It’s so exciting,” Vézina said.
“The Mères Noël project has been received really well and we’re all so excited.”
They now have just over 100 names on their Christmas list.
“We have already 90 Mères Noël and 78 gifts for kids, plus 12 stockings, socks for women organizations,” Aubertin explained.
Families with children from zero to 14-years-old are encouraged to write to the mothers with a short description of the child’s interests so they can be paired up with a gift they’ll enjoy.
“I can imagine how hard it must be to be a mother who isn’t able to give her children any gifts on Christmas Day,” said Tremblay.
“At the same time, I see some children who receive plenty of gifts, whose mothers are very generous. So that’s how this started.”
The mothers have also established a partnership with several local organizations, including Le Parados, which takes care of women who have suffered domestic violence.
“‘Santa Claus took a day off to help us too. This is really exciting.”
Twelve children who are with their mothers at the centre will also receive gifts from les Mères Noël.
For Christmas Mothers looking to take part, or for families who are in need of a little help this holiday season, all that needs to be done is join the Facebook page.
Families are encouraged to privately message Aubertin, Tremblay or Vézina and fill out the official form. One of the organizers will then write a post on the page to describe what kind of present the family is looking for.
Christmas Mothers can check the posts and then comment if they have a present that matches was they’re looking for.
The deadline to take part in the Mères Noël campaign is Dec. 15.
rachel.lau@globalnews.ca
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