The purpose of Be a Blessing Buffalo is simple: it exists to help people.
Volunteers, partners and contributors have worked together since 2019 to assist local individuals and families in need. At first, that giving was holiday-focused (the charity was originally called Christmas Blessing). Over time, that support has taken additional forms and now lasts throughout the year.
The inspiration for the non-profit came from the late John Tolley, a Clarence resident who died unexpectedly in June 2019. Its mission is to “provide gifts and support to families facing job loss, terminal illness, homelessness, and other life-altering situations.”
“He didn’t believe in commercialized Christmas,” Kate Tolley Gerlach says about her father. During the holiday season, John had a request for his family. “He asked that we not get each other gifts, he wanted [us] to find someone that actually needed gifts and had children of a younger age, or who didn’t know what a true Christmas was.”
People are also reading…
“After my dad passed away, we turned our pain into purpose,” explains Kate. She, her sisters Courtney and Abby and their mom Kimberly decided that for Christmas 2019, they would help not just one Buffalo-area family, but many. Kimberly had assisted people at Cornerstone Manor—the Buffalo City Mission shelter for women and mothers with children—and knew the true need in Western New York.
Sisters Abigail Tolley Nieminen, Kate Tolley Gerlach and Courtney Tolley, along with their mom Kimberly, are keeping their dad’s memory alive through Be a Blessing.
Friends, neighbors and strangers answered the call to give funds, purchase gifts and transport items from drop-off sites at area businesses. Kate credits Kimberly LaRussa, the founder of Sweet Buffalo, with helping the family make important connections and encouraging them to think big.
“Kim saw what I had been posting online and said, ‘You could help hundreds,’” Kate recalls. “I just wanted to help these 30 people and she said, ‘If you can do this in your pain, you could make something magical.’”
After those first Christmases, Kate started getting requests from families unable to provide birthday gifts, and Be a Blessing expanded its assistance. In the aftermath of the 2022 mass shooting on Buffalo’s East Side, Be a Blessing coordinated with other non-profits to help people in the community.
“We believe in other people’s organizations—we’re not trying to recreate the wheel,” Kate says. “There’s wonderful organizations that know exactly what they’re doing, but we wanted to be someone that links arms.”
Be a Blessing continues to evolve, with its volunteers working to respond to new needs and last-minute requests. Efforts have included organizing back-to-school supply drives for kids, distributing waterproof backpacks full of essential supplies to homeless adults and assisting families dealing with medical emergencies.
A network of tireless volunteers makes it all possible. Businesses big and small have also answered the call, from large corporate donations to tiny shops serving as drop-off sites for gifts.
“Buffalo is a beautiful place, and we are surrounded by so many people that have different stories,” Kate says. “We [at Be a Blessing] are just the vessel. We have tried to utilize the connections we’ve made, but it’s the truly wonderful people who have given in every facet for no other reason than that they are just good people.”
