A Night of 1000 Candles: Illuminate Hope & Support Local Food Security

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A Night of 1000 Candles: Illuminate Hope & Support Local Food Security

Imagine a starlit field glowing with 1000 flickering candles—each one a symbol of nourishment, warmth, and hope. This summer, The Giving Place invites you to be part of a truly magical experience: A Night of 1000 Candles – Illuminate Hope Fundraiser.

Taking place at our peaceful Giving Garden Haven, this one-of-a-kind evening blends community, compassion, and candlelight to raise critical funds for local food security initiatives.

🌱 Why This Event Matters: Supporting Year-Round Food Access

Since 2019, The Giving Garden Haven has donated 100% of its fresh, locally grown produce to organizations serving those in need. These include:

  • Holland Landing Food Pantry

  • Keswick Fridge

  • Georgina Food Pantry

  • Second Chance Clothing Depot & Food Closet

  • Mount Albert United Church Food Pantry

But as community demand grows and seasonal harvests remain limited, the need for infrastructure upgrades is urgent. This year’s fundraiser aims to support:
✅ Solar power installation
✅ Greenhouse expansion for year-round growing
✅ Better water access
✅ Tools and equipment to scale our impact

Your support = more families fed, more often.

What to Expect: A Candlelit Evening of Beauty and Purpose

A Night of 1000 Candles is more than a fundraiser—it’s a heartwarming gathering filled with light, music, and community spirit.

🎶 Live acoustic music under the stars
🕯 Candlelit pathways to walk and reflect
🍽️ Elegant catering by a certified Blue Seal Chef
🎁 Silent auction of handcrafted illuminated centerpieces

Plus, each guest will have the opportunity to add a candle to the glowing path, spreading warmth and generosity across the evening.

Ways to Get Involved: Sponsor or Donate

Become a sponsor and shine a light in your community. Sponsorship comes with a variety of benefits including VIP tickets, marketing exposure, and candle dedications:

🕯️ Platinum Sponsor – $5000

  • Premier recognition across all platforms

  • Logo featured on-site and online

  • 100 dedicated candles + 8 VIP tickets

  • Custom centerpiece for silent auction

🕯️ Gold Sponsor – $2500

  • Prominent logo placement

  • 100 dedicated candles + 6 VIP tickets

  • Handcrafted centerpiece

🕯️ Silver Sponsor – $1000

  • Logo featured in select event materials

  • 50 dedicated candles + 4 VIP tickets

  • Silent auction centerpiece

🕯️ Sponsor – $500

  • Logo placement at event and online

  • 50 dedicated candles + 2 VIP tickets

  • Centerpiece for auction

🕯 Honor a Loved One: Sponsor a Candle

Can’t attend but still want to support?
You can purchase an Honorary Candle for just $25—lit in honour or memory of someone special. A simple, beautiful way to make a difference.

🎟 Get Your Tickets Now!

Don’t miss your chance to be part of this truly meaningful night.
Reserve your tickets or become a sponsor today, and help illuminate the path to food security—one candle, one meal, one act of kindness at a time.

Lavender Plant Pre-Sales at The Giving Place, Mount Albert

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Spring is just around the corner, and The Giving Place in Mount Albert is excited to announce our lavender plant pre-sales! Located close to Toronto in the beautiful GTA, we’re your go-to destination for high-quality lavender plants.

Available Varieties: This season, we’re offering a diverse selection of lavender varieties to suit any garden enthusiast’s needs:

  • Folgate: Known for its deep violet-blue blooms and fragrant scent.

  • Royal Velvet (English): A customer favourite with rich, velvety purple flowers.

  • Melissa: Featuring pale pink to light lavender blooms.

  • Super Blue: Compact with vibrant blue-violet flowers.

  • Big Time Blue: Perfect for striking garden displays.

  • Phenomenal French: Highly resilient with silvery foliage and iconic fragrance.

Each lavender plant comes in a 4-inch pot and will be ready for pick-up during the May long weekend — just in time for spring planting.

Why Grow Lavender? Lavender is not only a beautiful addition to your garden but also a versatile and hardy plant. Its delightful fragrance, pollinator-friendly blooms, and calming properties make it a favourite among gardeners and wellness enthusiasts alike.

Pre-Order Now! Don’t miss your chance to secure these premium lavender plants. Quantities are limited, so pre-order today to ensure your garden is filled with the beauty and aroma of fresh lavender this season.

Visit The Giving Place in Mount Albert for more details and to place your pre-order. We look forward to helping you create your dream lavender garden!

The Benefits of Lavender

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The Ancient Healer

It’s more than a pretty Scent

Many people enjoy the pleasing fragrance of lavender and use it to treat a variety of conditions. 

We usually associate lavender with its fragrance and its colour, but the lavender flower and the oil derived from it have a long history in herbal medicine. Lavender is a multipurpose plant, used in many ways to promote good health and well-being.

Our lavender products have many potential benefits for you to discover

The name Lavender derives from the Latin root “lavare,” which literally means “to wash.” The earliest recorded use of lavender dates back to ancient Egypt. Later, lavender became a bath additive in many regions, including Persia, ancient Greece, and Rome. These cultures believed that lavender helped purify the body and mind.

Since ancient times, lavender has been used to treat many different ailments, including: 

Many people enjoy the pleasing fragrance of lavender and use it to treat a variety of conditions. 

We usually associate lavender with its fragrance and its colour, but the lavender flower and the oil derived from it have a long history in herbal medicine. Lavender is a multipurpose plant, used in many ways to promote good health and well-being.

Our lavender products have many potential benefits for you to discover

The name Lavender derives from the Latin root “lavare,” which literally means “to wash.” The earliest recorded use of lavender dates back to ancient Egypt. Later, lavender became a bath additive in many regions, including Persia, ancient Greece, and Rome. These cultures believed that lavender helped purify the body and mind.

Since ancient times, lavender has been used to treat many different ailments, including: 

  • mental health issues

  • anxiety

  • insomnia

  • depression

  • headaches

  • hair loss

  • nausea

  • acne

  • toothaches

  • skin irritations

  • cancer

Aromatherapy

Lavender is most commonly used in aromatherapy. The fragrance from the oils of the lavender plant is believed to help promote calmness and wellness as well as help to reduce stress, anxiety, and possibly even mild pain. Studies have found that topically applying lavender could reduce the severity of menstrual cramps.

Skin & Hair

When applied to the skin, lavender oils and body creams have shown positive results in helping with eczema, sunburns, acne, and diaper rash.

Lavender & You

Many people have enjoyed the pleasing fragrance of lavender and used it to treat a variety of conditions. People say its uses range from helping them calm down and get a good night’s sleep to managing sleeplessness, anxiety, and menstrual cramps.

Sleep Aid

Lavender has been recommended to treat insomnia or other sleep disorders for many years. Placing sachets of lavender flowers in their pillows helps some people fall asleep and get a better night’s rest. 

Lavender is also used by aromatherapists to treat headaches, nervousness or restlessness. Massage therapists apply lavender oil to the skin, to act as both a calming agent and a sleep aid. In Germany, lavender tea has been approved as a supplement to treat sleep disruptions, restlessness, and some stomach irritations.

Our Lavender dream pillows, or eye pillows are a lovely addition to any sleep routine.

Possible Cancer and Dementia Relief

According to the National Cancer Institute, aromatherapy can help patients manage the side effects of cancer treatment. Smell receptors send messages to the brain that can affect mood. Similarly, it may also help adults who suffer from dementia.

Lavender Coffee

we partnered with Elipda Cafe & roastery to create our own delicious blend of lavender Coffee, Available in our store!

Lavender coffee offers a calming, relaxing experience. The floral notes of lavender pair beautifully with the aromatics of coffee. Drinking lavender coffee can help reduce stress and anxiety, promoting tranquility and well-being. The antioxidants in lavender and coffee can help support overall health.

Gifts from the Heart Contest 2025

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Gifts from the Heart Contest!

The season of love quickly approaches and we want to start it with some Gifts from our hearts to yours. This year we will be giving away 15 (yes 15!) prizes!

Winners will be selected and announced by random draw on Valentine's Day (Friday Feb 14th 2025).

Ways to enter:

  1. Like our contest post or reel on Instagram or Facebook.  Follow our page on Instagram or Facebook. Tag a friend in the comments & tell them one reason you are grateful to have them in your life! Each additional tag is another entry!

  2. Purchase any product from now until Feb. 13th from The Giving Place online or store & you’ll be automatically entered! Every purchase counts as a new entry.

  3. Perform 3 acts of kindness & tell us about it! 

    • Do 1 random act of kindness

    • Do 1 kind thing just for yourself

    • Do 1 kind thing for a person you love!

    • Send us an email sharing your acts of kindness! Each act gives you a new entry to win!

Prizes:

1st Draw Prize: The VIP Package: includes High Tea for 2 at our farm, cut your own Lavender Bouquet, 10 free tickets to our Lavender Festival, and a beautiful Gift Basket filled with our natural artisanal products (valued over $500)

2nd Draw Prize: High Tea for 2 at The Giving Place!

3rd Draw Prize: A beautiful Gift Basket of our natural artisanal products (valued at $100)

4th Draw Prize: Wreath Making workshop for 2 valued at $200.00

PLUS we'll be drawing 10 winners to receive  2 free tickets to our Lavender Fest!

The deadline to enter is February 13th 2025!

We haven’t forgotten about the kids, we are also holding our… 

Kids Drawing From the Heart Contest! 

Kids, we invite you to draw or paint your very own Gratitude Tree! Email us a photo of your finished drawing and tell us one thing you are grateful for!

The Winner’s drawing will be posted on our socials and you’ll receive a Picnic at the Farm for 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) on the day of your choosing during our summer season.

The deadline to enter is February 13th 2025, so you better get drawing!

Use the icons below to find our social media posts!