North York Women’s Shelter really is, as we say, built on community. From the in-kind contributions of our neighbours who bring gifts and food for our residents to enjoy, to the incredible support that our allies provided during our capital campaign for our new state-of-the-art shelter building – our work is buffered, amplified and made possible by the incredible generosity of our network. And this month, we were honoured to see an example of that in action.

A dear friend of NYWS, Nicole Beinert, held her 14th annual Pumpkin Patch event on October 19th, 2025; a community get-together, fall celebration and opportunity to give back to a local cause. Families and neighbours came to choose their own pumpkin, listen to live music, and enjoy hot churros, corn and balloon animals, and were invited to donate to support North York Women’s Shelter.

Nicole and her family managed to raise an incredible $4,277 which will go directly to support survivors of gender-based violence – women, gender-diverse individuals, children and pets – to access safe shelter, holistic healing, and transitional housing support to move forward into their next chapter, free from violence.

To Nicole and her passionate team; we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the kindness, compassion and energy you have poured into this cause for so many years now. In a world full of uncertainty and negativity, you show us the true meaning of allyship.

Nicole Beinert (right) and our Manager of Development at the Pumpkin Patch event