What a Donation Really Means to Someone Grieving
- Victoria Berry
- Apr 23
- 5 min read
When someone gives to our organization, they’re not just supporting a program. They’re offering comfort. Care. Connection. They’re helping someone in the rawness of their grief take a breath, and not feel so alone.
Grief touches every part of a person’s life. It can feel isolating, overwhelming, and disorienting. It can affect your sleep, your ability to work or go to school, your relationships, and your hope for the future.
When you give to our organization, you help create a space where people can come exactly as they are, and be met with compassion, understanding, and steady support.
That is the quiet power of your donation.
How Your Donation Makes a Difference
Your donation means a grieving spouse doesn’t have to navigate loss alone. It means a teenager, overwhelmed with grief and disconnected from their peers, finally feels heard and understood. It means a grieving parent finding comfort in connecting with others who truly understand their pain. It means a phone rings, and on the other end is a voice that says, "You’re not alone. I’m here."
Grief doesn’t follow a timeline. And healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means learning how to live with loss; something no one should have to do alone. It isn’t something that can be “fixed.” It’s something people learn to carry, and what you give helps them carry it in community, with care, and without cost. For someone who feels like the world has fallen apart, that is everything.
Thanks to donor support, we provide services that help people and communities navigate grief with understanding, care, and support. The impact? It’s real, it’s deep, and it changes lives:
People share that their sense of isolation and loneliness has eased.
They feel more connected to others, especially with people who “get it.”
They’ve found hope for the future and moments of joy again.
Many say their well-being, stress, and anxiety have improved.
They’ve learned how to care for themselves in new ways.
Communication with family, friends, and coworkers becomes more open.
And importantly, they often return to school or work feeling more prepared and supported—not because grief is gone, but because it’s now held with care.
One participant told us:
“For my first time, I was comfortable and found hearing others’ stories helpful. I don’t feel so alone anymore.”
That sense of belonging, of being witnessed, is what your donation creates.
Your Support Saves Lives
We've had people tell us, without hesitation, that our services saved their life.
Not because we had all the answers. But because we showed up. Because someone held space. Because there was somewhere to turn when they felt like there wasn’t. That’s what your donation does.
We’ve had others tell us that being part of our groups was life-changing. That it helped them through the hardest seasons of their life. That it gave them something to hold onto when everything else felt like it was slipping away. It's helped people live and thrive.
One person put it simply:
“This is the best thing I have ever been to. This is my family.”
This is what your kindness makes possible. Not just services, but community. Not just resources, but relationships.
You are part of someone’s grief journey in a way that’s tender, meaningful, and long-lasting.
We support people from all walks of life—children and youth grieving the loss of a parent or sibling, older adults navigating the silence after losing a lifelong partner, people facing financial hardship who might otherwise have no access to mental health care, working caregivers stretched to their limits, and many more.
You help create spaces where people can say the name of their person out loud. You help someone share a story for the very first time. You help someone return to work or school feeling a little more grounded, a little less afraid. You help someone sit by their loved one’s favourite park bench again, and feel connected, not broken.
From Participants to Peer Supporters
One of the most beautiful things we’ve witnessed is the way grief can transform into generosity. Many people who have received support from us later return; not because they feel they have to, but because they want to. They come back as volunteers. They join our events. They hold space for others.
Grief support, when it’s given freely and compassionately, creates a circle of care that keeps growing. And every dollar you give is part of that circle.
What You’re Funding
Your donation directly supports:
An average of over 200 grief groups each year, with over 1,000 group visits—both ongoing and closed groups that build safety and connection
An average of 1,000 one-to-one sessions each year with trained staff and volunteers who truly understand
GriefTalks webinars—accessible education and support that teach people about specific grief and loss topics, while helping normalize grief in workplaces, families, and communities
A range of free resources, offering tools for coping with loss, navigating difficult emotions, and building resilience
Why It Matters So Much
We are a small, charitable organization. We don’t receive consistent, ongoing funding. Our work is powered by community generosity and volunteer dedication. Every dollar raised helps ensure someone can:
Pick up the phone and talk to someone who understands.
Join a group where it’s okay to cry, laugh, and remember.
Feel safe enough to name their loss, speak their truth, and take their next step.
We’re not a big organization. But we make a big impact. And that’s only possible because of you.
Thank You for Supporting Grieving People With Dignity and Care
Your donation helps make grief support possible for hundreds of people every year. It keeps our services going, our doors open, and our hearts focused on what matters most: showing up for people in their hardest moments.
You don’t have to know someone to help carry their grief. And you don’t have to walk in their shoes to offer kindness, care, and hope.
Thank you for believing that grief deserves space, and that no one should have to go through it alone.
If you’re thinking about giving, please know this: You’re not just donating to a cause. You’re helping someone feel less alone in the most painful moment of their life. That’s no small thing. Because when someone grieving finds their way to us, what they’re really finding is YOU—your kindness, your care, and your belief that grief deserves space and support.
Your compassion truly makes all the difference.