A community to support them: Reaching out to children after loss

The P.E.I. group Island Mothers Helping Mothers has launched a holiday project to show support for children who lost a parent to depression or addiction this year.

Island Mothers Helping Mothers started as a Facebook group in 2014. It has more than 4,000 members on Facebook now, but also reaches out to do projects in the community.

Co-founder Sarah Stewart-Clark said nine parents in the group died this year because of depression or addiction, leaving 14 children with one less parent. The group has started raising money to buy Christmas gifts for the children.

"They do have one less parent this year than they did last year, but they also have a community who sees them and is here to support them as they grow older," Stewart-Clark said.

"We wanted the surviving parent to know that there is a community here who is actively involved and happy to help."

Stewart-Clark has started a GoFundMe campaign called You Are Not Alone this Christmas.

Stewart-Clark said the families have not asked for help, but it is something the Island Mothers Helping Mothers community wanted to surprise them with.

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