12/19/2025
WOW! Nine years of Lola’s Pajama Fairy Project has gone by in the blink of an eye. What began as a small project of collecting warm and cozy pajamas for those in need expanded beyond what we could have ever hoped for.
Our first year we had around 200 pairs of pajamas generously donated and given out to families in need over the holidays. In the years following, we saw people donate thousands of pairs of pajamas, slippers, scarves and mittens. This year we had over 1500 donations brought to us!
At first, the donations were mainly from friends and families. But then, we began to get donations from generous community groups….from schools, sports teams, businesses, labour unions, Legions and more. However the majority of donations came from individuals who saw a need in the Windsor/Essex community and decided to help out in their own way. And over the years you have helped out in a huge way! As have all of our “drop off” locations throughout Windsor and Essex County. Just the act of having space and friendly people to take in all of the donations was so helpful.
Fortunately for us, all of the collecting, sorting, organizing and delivering the thousands of pajamas is done by a team of “Pajama Fairies”. On their own time these people generously came together (often bringing in their own donations) to help with this part of the Project. Thank you!
Giving the pajamas out to those with the greatest need has always been bittersweet. It is so joyful bringing in everything that you have donated to help others, to see how grateful people and organizations are, but at the same time sad to see how many people there are in our community with so little. We were reminded again this year when dropping donations off to the food banks in Leamington, Essex, Windsor and Lasalle, how many families and individuals are struggling to get through each day. There were many tears shed between our team and those community groups. Tears of joy and tears of sadness as well.
So to wrap up this year, 2025, Lola’s Pajama Fairy Project wants to thank each and every one of you for caring about the needs of others. Whether you know it or not, YOU have made a difference in the lives of others.
Thank you!
