Karen Mills fled from Saskatchewan last year, escaping a violent partner with her five kids and nothing more than the suitcases they could carry.
She left the prairies for the coast because she knew her ex wouldn't be able to make the trek to find her, but the move meant starting all over again with very little resources to help her care for her kids, who ranged in age at the time from four to 19.
When they arrived in B.C., they stayed with family and friends, but it became overwhelming with her big brood, and eventually Mills and the kids found their way to Monarch Place. The New Westminster-based organization helps women and children fleeing violence find a way out of danger and into a new life.
Mills and her kids eventually left Monarch and moved into a home in South Vancouver, where they have found peace. But while the violence is over, there are still financial challenges for Mills. Those challenges are made more acute at Christmas time.
But, once again, Monarch Place was there to help her family.
Last year, Adele Thompson, a Monarch Place outreach worker, asked Mills to provide a Christmas list to Monarch from the kids. She urged Mills not to "minimize the price," Mills tells The Record.
"She goes 'let the kids - ask what they want and write it down, it doesn't mean that they are necessarily going to get that,'" Mills recalls.
But the list was a relatively simple one.
"We focused basically on clothes, shoes, jackets, pillows, comforters, pajamas, slippers ... they got me a vacuum. They bought us pots and pans, dishes," Mills says. When all of the gifts showed up, Mills' was stunned by the generosity.
"They even bought us Christmas ornaments to stand up in the house, and Christmas decorations. There was enough food to last us until sometime in January," she says. "It was awesome."
Their little Christmas tree was dwarfed by the presents.
"I was really touched. I had phoned Monarch, and I was like are you guys sure that we should be having all of this?" Mills says.
As for the kids, they were, well, like kids on Christmas - "ecstatic,” is how Mills describes them.
"They even bought us a roasting pan to make our turkey in, knowing that I wouldn't have that," she says.
Mills has been through a lot of ups and downs in the time since she left Saskatchewan, but says she's felt tremendous relief knowing that her kids would be safe.
As for this year's list, Mills' five-year-old daughter, Asia, likes Lalaloopsy dolls, her eight-year-old son, Soren, likes Halo toys and Lego, her 15-year-old son, Montana, is hoping for clothes, and Mills is in need of a pair of running shoes.
Monarch Place Christmas hampers help about 75 families each year, Thompson says.
"What we look for in an hamper, generally what we say is two to three quality gifts per person, a gift card for groceries ... and some household items, Christmas baking, those kinds of things," she explains.
In some case, whole groups sponsor a family's hamper - as was the case in Mills' case - or individuals can drop off a gift or gift car and Monarch staff will supplement other hampers. Those who want to donate to Monarch's Christmas hamper project, can call Doris at 604-521-1888.
