This December, Your Self-Care Can Help Feed a Community
Ten years ago, I launched the Self-Care Advent Calendar Challenge with a simple belief: when women prioritize their wellness, everyone benefits. What started as 25 women taking daily self-care actions has grown into a movement of over 1,000 participants, supporting 240+ local businesses, and raising thousands for those in need.
But this milestone year arrives at a critical moment.
The Crisis We Cannot Ignore
While we celebrate a decade of community care, our neighbors face unprecedented hardship. Edmonton’s Food Bank just released numbers that should stop us in our tracks:
- 43,690 people now rely on the food bank monthly—a staggering increase from just 21,176 in 2020
- 37% are children—that’s over 16,000 kids in our community who don’t have enough to eat
- Emergency room visits for anxiety and panic attacks spike 40% every December
- One in five Canadian women will skip meals this month to ensure their children can eat
These aren’t just statistics. They’re our neighbors, our colleagues, the mom at school pickup, the woman behind us in the coffee line. They’re part of our community, and they need us now more than ever.
Why Self-Care Matters More Than Ever
You might wonder: how can taking a 15-minute walk or practicing gratitude help when the need is so great?
Here’s what I’ve learned after a decade of running this challenge: Women who fill their own cups have more to give.When we’re running on empty—stressed, exhausted, overwhelmed—we can’t show up for anyone, including ourselves.
But something magical happens when we commit to small, daily acts of self-care:
- Our stress hormones decrease
- Our resilience increases
- Our capacity to help others expands
- Our purchasing power supports local businesses
- Our participation generates donations for those in need
The Science of Stress and Why December Hits Different
Research consistently shows that women’s cortisol levels spike during the holiday season. This chronic stress doesn’t just affect our mood—it disrupts:
- Sleep patterns
- Immune function
- Digestive health
- Hormone balance
- Cognitive function (hello, brain fog!)
Studies have found that 44% of women report increased stress during the build-up to holidays, with the additional burden of managing tasks for themselves and family members creating high anxiety. The combination of work deadlines, holiday preparations, and caregiving responsibilities creates a perfect storm for stress hormone dysregulation.
That’s why this year’s challenge focuses on four essential pillars, each scientifically designed to counteract holiday stress:
- Physical – Movement and body-based practices that build resilience
- Mental – Strategies that clear brain fog and enhance focus
- Cortisol – Targeted habits for stress hormone regulation
- Nervous System – Practices that activate your parasympathetic (rest and digest) response
Every habit is backed by PubMed research. Every action takes just 5-15 minutes. Every day builds on the last to create lasting chang
How the SCACC Challenge Creates Community Impact
For You:
- 25 science-backed daily habits delivered to your inbox
- Weekly chances to win self-care prize baskets (over $4,000 in prizes!)
- A supportive community of women on the same journey
- Practical tools for managing holiday stress
- Research-backed strategies for hormone balance and brain fog
For Local Businesses:
- Increased visibility to over 1,000 participants
- Social media exposure throughout December
- Direct support during the crucial holiday shopping season
- Connection to conscious consumers who value women-owned businesses
For Our Community:
- Every purchase from a participating business = $2 donated to Edmonton’s Food Bank
- Direct donation opportunities throughout the challenge
- Awareness raised about food insecurity in our city
- Tangible support for families in crisis
The Ripple Effect of Ten Years
Since 2015, the Self-Care Advent Calendar Challenge has:
- Supported over 100 local women-owned businesses
- Generated thousands in donations for Edmonton’s Food Bank
- Created a community of women who understand that self-care isn’t selfish
- Proven that small actions, taken together, create tremendous change
Join Us for Year 10: December 1-25, 2025
Registration is FREE and opens November 20, 2025
Sign up at: https://mailchi.mp/rejoicenutritionwellness/scaccevent
When you register, you’ll receive:
- Daily emails with your self-care challenge
- Scientific explanations for each habit
- Downloadable guides and resources
- Entry into weekly Self-Care Prize Baskets
- The satisfaction of knowing your self-care supports others
A Personal Invitation
As someone who’s spent a decade researching women’s health, studying burnout, and supporting women through perimenopause and chronic stress, I know this: we cannot pour from empty cups.
The women accessing Edmonton’s Food Bank this December aren’t different from us. They’re nurses working double shifts, teachers buying supplies with their own money, single moms choosing between groceries and gas. They’re doing their best in impossible circumstances.
When we take care of ourselves, we model something powerful: that wellness isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. When we support local businesses, we keep money in our community. When we donate to the food bank, we ensure no family goes hungry.
This is how we transform self-care from an individual act into community care.
How Rejoice Is Supporting Small Businesses And How You Can Help?
We have 4 baskets of local, self-care gifts to win
Everything that is in those baskets is from female-owned businesses! We have 20+ businesses that have contributed the most amazing self-care and wellness gifts for you to win this year!
If you shop at any of the local contributing small businesses during the challenge, message me and I will also be donating $2.00 for every purchase you make with them in to the Edmonton Food Bank.
LOCAL-OWNED BUSINESSES WHO ARE GIVING BACK
These Amazing Contributors have gifted a total of $4,000+ Wellness Gifts for YOU to Win this year! Check them out below!
New Skin Advanced Treatments & Laser
Nelson Olive Oil
Boho Lash & Co
Catastrophe Chocolates
Olive Tree People & Beatriz
Natasha’s Fitness
Kats Ass Cushions
Pigeon Lake Wellness Retreat
Thermaculture- Mobile Sauna Rental
Wishbone Wellness
Haute Coton
BreatheYEG
Liv Nourished
Lindsay Hayes- The Wellness Box
Mode Juice Co.
Nothin’ Butt Waxin’
78 Acre Woods
Wild Roses Apothecary
Highlands Yoga Room
Rejoice in Nutrition and wellness (ME!!!!)
How We Are Also Supporting The Edmonton Food Bank Through The 25-Day Self-Care Challenge?
You can donate directly between December 1-December 25th, 2024 through the Food Bank Link below
CLICK HERE TO DONATE EVEN $1 TO THE HEALTHFUL HAMPER FOOD DRIVE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR THROUGH THE SECURE DONATION LINK
When you purchase with ANY of the local Businesses above that are contributing to the 25 Self-Care Advent Calendar Challenge to support local for your holiday shopping, email me or DM me you made a purchase and Rejoice will personally donate $2.00 on your behalf to the Edmonton Foodbank.
So you support local AND help local families have a meal this holiday season. Win-Win!!
How Some Businesses Are Giving A Little More! Shop To Make An Impact!
Below are a handful of the 25-Day Self-Care Challenge contributors whose businesses are GIVING a bit more.
Nelson Olive Oil! Use my Code (Rejoice-10) for 10% off your shopping
78 Acre Woods! Use my code (Rejoice10) for 10% off your Shopping
Liv Nourished! Use code (REJOICE) for $100.00 off the Nourished Family Series until Dec 31, 2025
WishBone Wellness! Use code (REJOICE) for 10% off all orders!
Rejoice (me) when you buy from ANY of the businesses contributing during the event, I will, of course, donate $2 to the Food Bank as part of our event.
