Invitation to the event

At NYWS, We know safety is built layer by layer, policy by policy, but it’s also in small moments. A hand reaching out. A neighbour showing up. A pumpkin patch becoming a fundraiser.

This fall, we were beyond grateful to be invited to join in the festivities at Nicole Beinert’s 13^th Annual Pumpkin Patch, an event that started as a neighbourhood gathering and has grown into a local tradition packed with warmth, whimsy, and deep-rooted generosity.

But this isn’t just about pumpkins.

It’s about community coming together year after year to create something joyful – and choosing to turn that joy outward.

Nicole’s Pumpkin Patch is more than a cute fall photo-op (although yes, it is very cute). It’s a space where generosity meets celebration, and where people of all ages are reminded that giving can be playful, creative and community driven. It’s a place where parents teach their kids about kindness, and where that kindness turns into something real, tangible, and impactful.

Nicole’s daughter accepting donations at the Pumpkin Patch fundraiser.

The money raised by the event didn’t just arrive with a number. It arrived with intention. With care. With the knowledge that safety is something you build together, not something you outsource.

The funds raised will help support programs for women and children who have experienced violence and are now working to rebuild their lives. This gift helps us do the hard, beautiful, behind-the-scenes work of helping people through transition. And that matters, deeply.

We often say that community care is louder than violence. Nicole’s Pumpkin Patch proves it – year after year.

To Nicole, your family, and every neighbour who stopped by, picked up a pumpkin, and contributed: thank you for seeing us. Thank you for reminding us that local giving is powerful giving. That events can spark real change.

13 years of pumpkins. 13 years of people showing up. And now, a gift that will ripple far beyond fall. We’re so honoured to be part of this milestone, and we’ll be carrying your support with us all season long.