How Your Gift Helps

Every year YWCA Vancouver helps women and families in the Lower Mainland facing poverty, unemployment and violence. Our programs and services reach over 45,000 people annually, connecting them with vital resources and helping to improve the quality of their lives.

By supporting YWCA Vancouver you can help us provide core services and programs to the women, youth and children who need them the most.

I believe that the true greatness of a city can be measured by how well it looks after its poorest and most vulnerable citizens. I support the YWCA because I know that my donation is going to directly help those who need it the most.
- Kirsty Maxwell, YWCA Inner Circle Donor

Donate Now. Your donation makes a difference!

• $10 buys a food voucher to help a single mother and her child buy food
• $25 buys books for a YWCA child care centre to promote early childhood literacy amongst special needs children living in poverty
• $50 sponsors one evening of a single mothers' group to help women face the challenges of parenting alone
• $250 provides mentorship opportunities for one high school student
• $500 allows a mother and her children to live in safety for one month at one of our transition houses for women who have left abusive relationships
• $2,000 provides the additional resources needed to care for five children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder for one month at a YWCA child care centre serving the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver

Single Mothers' Programs
As sole providers for their children, many single mothers face overwhelming challenges. We provide affordable housing, shelter for women facing domestic violence, employment counselling, programs for women living in poverty and resources to help women build better futures for themselves and their children.

Children's Programs
Our dedicated staff and volunteers help children with disadvantages live healthier and happier lives. We give them care and nourishment while their parents work to improve their circumstances. We provide child care for children with special needs, those from low-income families, and counselling for children who have witnessed violence.

Youth Programs
For many young adults who are chronically unemployed or working in menial jobs, the lack of college or university education is all too often the roadblock to a better-paid job and a stable life. In families where the parents are less than 25 years old, the family is three times as likely to live in poverty as the general population. Through teen parenting programs, employment training and mentorship programs, we help them gain the skills they need to navigate their lives in a meaningful and proactive manner.

Food Programs
Food is certainly not the only need low-income families have, but it is a vital one. Nutritious food provides comfort beyond a full stomach: when people know where their next meal is coming from, they can focus on improving their lives rather than on struggling to survive. The YWCA provides community kitchens, emergency food vouchers, and hot lunches for children and women living in poverty.