“COVID-19 has affected many segments of our population,” said Josée Bériault, a member of the EXIT Realty Matrix Brokerage in Hawkesbury. “This year, in the spirit of the holiday season, EXIT Realty Matrix Brokerage partnered with EXIT Realty Corporation International and its Spirit of EXIT Dollar-for-Dollar matching program in support of La Maison Interlude’s Shoebox Project, to raise awareness and also remind women in distress that they are not alone.”

The Shoebox Project is an annual program in many communities aimed at ensuring the women who have taken refuge in local women’s shelters have a gift of both necessities and comforts during the holiday season. The pandemic has made the usual collection of “Shoeboxes of Hope” from local businesses and individuals impossible so every community organizer of the local Shoebox Project has set up a virtual campaign to collect cash donations that will go towards the program to provide gift cards and other items to women who are fleeing from abusive situations.

The Hawkesbury office of EXIT Realty pledged $1000 in support of this year’s Shoebox Project and the international head office has matched that with another $1000, for a combined total of $2000. La Maison Interlude will put all the funds towards its 2020 Shoebox Project.

Bériault and the other members of Hawkesbury EXIT Realty also have a Christmas message for women receiving help and support from La Maison Interlude. “You are stronger than you know,” said Beriault, “braver than you think, and more loved than you can imagine.”

More information on the Shoebox Project is available at www.shoeboxproject.com/hawkesbury or by email to hawkesbury@shoeboxproject.com.