Soul Matters Counselling is launching a Christmas season fundraiser.

The Cloverdale not-for-profit counselling service is selling hand-knitted toque ornaments in an effort to raise much-needed funds to help keep the low-cost counselling services running.

鈥淲e're selling them just to try and raise some money,鈥� said Elsje Hannah, co-founder and supervisor for Soul Matters. 鈥淥ur rent has gone really out of control and there鈥檚 nothing I can do about it.鈥�

Soul Matters is located in the city-owned Dale Building on 176th Street.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been pretty brutal,鈥� said Hannah. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got our application in for charitable status, but that, of course, takes a while.鈥�

Hannah is selling the mini toques for $10 each, or $25 for three, with all proceeds directly going to support the not-for-profit.

Soul Matters was launched in 2013 to help fill a need for affordable counselling. The Cloverdale location opened in 2021. Hannah said Soul Matters has been filling a need for people that find private practice rates inaccessible and where government supported therapy means long waiting lists.

She said Soul Matters is very busy these days. She鈥檚 seen a massive increase in those seeking therapy post-COVID.

鈥淲e've gone from one student counsellor to four,鈥� Hannah noted. 鈥淎nd we still have a little bit of a waitlist.鈥�

The student counsellors Hannah brings in are from schools around the Lower Mainland. They are all master-level students in counselling psychology.

She said she noticed massive anxiety in people coming out of COVID, especially in children.

鈥淥ur kids are not doing well,鈥� she noted. 鈥淭hey need support. It's hard to see.鈥�

Hannah, along with a few other people, knitted the toque ornaments last year and they were well received when given out to friends and family. More than one hundred were knitted. So this year she got the idea to use them as a fundraiser.

"Everyone said they were super cute,鈥� she added. 鈥淪o, I'm currently knitting my little fingers off to make some more.鈥� 

To support Soul Matters by buying some mini toques, visit their office (5748 176th Street) across from Hawthorne Square, or pop into Mason's Cloverdale Home Furnishings (5765 176th Street), or go by Hansel Deli Cloverdale Sausage & Meats (5804 176th Street).

For information on Soul Matters and the services they provide, visit .