Delivering sunshine in the form of hospital care packages

Photo: Delivering Sunshine

An upcoming gala invites donors to contribute to the project of delivering sunshine in the South Okanagan.

Ashley Bodnar is the founder and president of the non-profit Delivering Sunshine whose primary objective is assembling and delivering care packages to friends and family that are receiving medical care.

“I wish it wasn’t necessary. It’s funny, you know, when you travel with an airline and you lose your luggage, they give you this little package that comes with all your necessities just to get you through a few nights and that’s the sort of thing I was trying to get through with Delivering Sunshine.”

Bodnar recognized the need to support people who are receiving medical care when in 2021, her daughter was born and unexpectedly became ill which catapulted them into quite the medical journey “we did four hospitals, seven ambulance rides, three medevac flights and a total of two months in hospital,” Bodnar explained.

Throughout her stay in the hospital she explained that people were asking her how they could help and she struggled to figure out what she needed at the moment. She then realized that it was the smaller things that meant the most and helped the journey.

“It was a toothbrush, deodorant, shampoo so I can wash my hair. Then some of the mental health things like a pair of socks. a little bit of a snack so that you’re not just eating hospital food. A crossword puzzle, little things like that go a really long way when you’re stuck in a hospital.”

Based on her experiences, she says she understands how lonely it can be in the hospital and that there really is a need to provide some support to the community.

When you are in the hospital for the long term and “you have two months staring at the walls of the hospital and a crossword puzzle would just be amazing to distract you from what you’re dealing with”.

One thing Bodnar is aware of and is actively trying to limit is the weight already on stretched thin healthcare workers.

“We’re trying to be very considerate of the nurses that are already working at full capacity. And then obviously, just being really respectful of volunteer resources, so trying to make sure that we let them know that we’ve got these packages coming ahead of time and just really make sure that we act as a partner to support the hospital but not overwhelm them any more than they’re already overwhelmed.

They do this by eliminating the amount of waste that is involved in the packages, so that it does not contribute to cluttering the hospital. For example, Bodnar explains that the toothpaste they provide is in pellet form that you mix with water.

They also pay attention to their environmental impact. “For example, our toothbrushes are bamboo and can be recycled, we’re trying to minimize the amount of waste that we’re introducing by providing these care packages,” she explained.

“The care packages themselves try to limit the amount of mess in the hospital, anything that requires some nursing support.”

In 2022 Delivering Sunshine held their first annual Miracle on Okanagan Gala in Kelowna. Their goal was to provide patients a care package around the holidays to support the mental and physical help of patients in the hospitals, hospices and nursing homes.

They raised enough money to put together 1,000 care packages and pay for 22-night stays at the Ronald McDonald House BC and Yukon. Every patient in hospital in the Okanagan over the holidays received a handmade package.

This year they are hoping to raise even more money with plans to sell out tickets to their 2023 Miracle on Okanagan Gala held at Spirit Ridge on Nov. 4 in Osoyoos.

The gala will include a plated dinner, live music by Rock Steady, and speeches. There will also be a silent auction, an initiative to sponsor a patient christmas tree and a 50/50 draw.