Paypal Account

Knits For Needs now has a PayPal account. Anyone wishing to donate money to our cause, pay for shipping for yarn, etc. now can simply go to PayPal and send us money there. Apparently you only need our email address: knitsforneeds@gmail.com

Yarn Galore

Many thanks to Erin and her sister who donated 2 huge boxes and 4 big bags full of yarn! There must be about 150 skeins in there! Check out these pics of the yarn they donated.

Ok folks, this means I have a closet packed FULL of yarn that I'd love to get out to you all who knit for Knits For Needs. Please let me know if you are interested in paying $10 for shipping to receive a box full of yarn. I have plenty to choose from.. just let me know what types/colors you like. Of course, since this yarn has been donated to Knits For Needs, it may only be used for KFN projects. Email me! knitsforneeds@gmail.com

In The Spirit Of Giving...

Christmas has arrived here at Knits For Needs!! We have donations throughout the year, but you've really picked it up for the Holiday Season. We have many people to thank, but before I do this, let me first apologize for leaving anyone out. I'm sure I do not mention everyone who donates, but it is only because I need to get better at record keeping and thanking every single person. I write down everyone who donates and try to thank everyone, but sometimes I forget WHERE I thank them.. was it Twitter? Ravelry? Facebook? Blog? So, please be assured that Knits For Needs thanks each and every one of you so much. The time, effort, and love you put into this project is commendable and appreciated by so many people, especially at this time of the year! Also, FYI: I do not use anyone's last names, just to be on the safe side. Now lets get to some of these "Thanks":

Cathy in Atlanta: you are the bomb! 15 hats! And a monetary donation to help with our shipping costs too. Thank you so much!

Thank you to Jenny in Indiana, our friend on Twitter, for sending in 9 scarves and 1 hat and thanks also to Pam in Maine for the 10 prayer squares that will be sent to Knit Wits who attach a prayer to each and send them to chemo patients to hold as they pray.

Now, between Cheryl in Texas and Alicia in New Jersey, 33 hats were knit/crocheted!!! How do you find the time? You guys rock! Also, Alicia sent in the CUTEST crocheted stuffed animals that were crocheted by her mom Lucila, also in New Jersey. My kids absolutely love them, but of course I had to explain again that they are for those in NEED, and they certainly don't need more :) TONS of thanks to Cheryl for also sending in a very generous monetary donation! We really needed that for shipping.. thanks so much for being so generous and selfless and for also trusting me to use it for this awesome project that puts a little sunshine into the lives of so many people in need around our country.



I feel so repetitive saying THANK YOU over and over again, but I feel like I just can't say it enough! On behalf of the 566 people out there (yes, 566!!) who we gave/will give to this year: THANK YOU!!

All We Knit is LOVE

Well, I heard back from The Covenant House about the items I sent a couple weeks ago. This is what she said: "We did receive the package and Thanks so very much. We plan to give the youth in their Holiday packages and will send you photographs of them wearing the hats. As usual they are beautiful and we truly appreciate the time and effort you put in to give homeless youth a warm hat to cover their heads during the cold season. Thanks again, Meredith and you will hear from us soon." Wouldn't it be great if we could get some pictures of the kids in the hats and other items so I can post them on the blog? I suppose I will need to get permission first, but I'd love to have more pics here, especially of the people we're helping.

I also heard from my contact at Children's Healthcare Of Atlanta. She said the staff has been handing out the items to the patients. I hope they like them and I hope we get more information from them soon. I'd love to hear stories about how the patients liked the items, and, again, pics would be great! We'll see.

On Tuesday I sent out two packages that I am super excited about. One is going to a homeless shelter in New Orleans called New Orleans Women's Shelter, aka: NOWS. Since we had mostly women's and children's, mainly girls, items, I looked for women's and children's shelters to donate to. My contact at NOWS sent me a small list of the individuals currently living at the shelter and tried to send an item per person, but there were some boy babies who I did not have clothing items for. I sent some knit bears in the hopes that each person will indeed receive something. In all, I sent about 15 items to NOWS.

The second box I sent was HUGE! I sent about 60-70 items to Women In Need, Inc in NY, NY. Here is some information from my contact about the 6 homeless shelters under the Women In Need umbrella: "Our shelters are all family shelters meaning that there are adults and minors in every unit. We have people and children of both genders and all ages. We serve something like 10,000 people annually, so anything you send us will be put to immediate good use. On a typical night we have 900 families either in our shelters or receiving services from us – this comes out to about 1500 children… Knitted donations of all sizes and for both genders are greatly appreciated!" Again, I didn't have many boy's/men's items, but that box was FULL of hats, scarves, a few baby sweaters, and headbands. I can't wait to hear back from them.

Our collecting and donating to people in need continues! We are an ongoing project so feel free to send in your items whenever you have time. Also, please keep in mind that Knits For Needs can only exist through the generous knitting/crocheting that our members do AND the monetary donations we receive. I'm a little nervous about not having enough money to cover our shipping costs for this winter, so any monetary donations, no matter how small, would help tremendously. I think an average shipment costs us about $9 - $12. Thanks for keeping this in mind this Holiday Season! Have a wonderful Holiday Season and may you be surrounded by loved ones!

WE HIT 400!!!

I just got a message from one of our Ravelry members who donated 26 items to charities in the name of Knits For Needs!! She's pushed us over 400!!!!

Thanks everyone for your dedication and support!!!

Giving, Giving, & Giving Some More

**Remember, clicking on our ads raises much needed funds for our wonderful cause, Knits For Needs... a super easy way for you to help! Thanks!!**

Thanks for coming to see a sneak-peek into the inner workings of Knits For Needs.. aka... me sitting in my hallway sifting through all of our donated items! :) A couple weeks ago I started going through everything and sorting it all into piles. What we have most of is women's and girls' hats, but we also had some blankets, a teddy bear, a bib, several pairs of booties, a shawl, several scarves, about 20 prayer squares, and two baby sweaters. Here are some pictures of the sorting process.

As you can see, it looks like a total mess, but there was a method to my madness, I assure you. In the picture to the right, you are looking at a huge pile of children's hats, some booties, and a couple blankets and two sweaters. In the other picture you can see the pile of adult hats, most of which are women's.

Look at this super-cute preemie hat, this tiny bear, and cute little bootie along with the other booties in the background! Adorable tiny baby items that will make some babies out there very happy.

So after sorting everything, I determine what is going to hospitals. I had been in touch with a lady at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and she told me they were in need of about 30 baby hats in different sizes. If the items are going to hospitals, they need to be washed because hospital patients are often very sensitive to allergens, plus you certainly would not want any germs on the items. So I very gently wash the items in the washer and dry them in the dryer on the lowest setting. All the items came out great. When I'm sure they are completely dry, I individually bag each item and tag them with a special note from Knits For Needs, which I have included a picture of, although it is a bit difficult to see. I had to take it without the flash because the flash kept reflecting off the bag :)
The box below is currently bound for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and should arrive by Monday. Included in this box are 2 baby blankets, about 30 hats, about 10 pair of booties, and 1 bib. I'm sure the recipients will love the items we've made for them and I can't wait to hear back from some of them!!

If the items are not going to a hospital or to chemo patients, I do not wash them since they really are clean anyway. (I just take extra special care with the hospital ones) These seen below should have arrived at The Covenant House in Atlanta by now, although I have not heard back from them yet. Included in this box were about 20 hats, 1 shawl, and about 8 scarves. The few men's hats I had went out in this box since most of the homeless youth they provide shelter for are
male.

Currently I am looking for women's and children's homeless shelters somewhere in the US where we can donate more hats. I have contacted several places, including shelters in New Orleans, Chicago, and New York, but have not heard back from anyone yet. I do not send out our items anywhere unless I have spoken to someone there who can assure me the items will make it into the hands of the intended recipients. We put much time, effort, and love into making these items so I make sure they get into the right hands!

Thanks for reading about the wonderful things Knits For Needs is doing! And, as always, thank you to all contributors and supporters. We would not exist without you, or if we did, it would just be me and I surely wouldn't have come up with 380 items by myself! Together, we ROCK!

348!

First of all, I'd like to send out a big THANK YOU to Shanda in North Carolina for donating three baby blankets and two baby hats (the blankets are pictures to the right) and also to Jenny in Scotland for donating 10 prayer squares!! This makes our total items donated this year a whopping 348! The blankets to the right are being shipped to Melinda in Pennsylvania who is collecting blankets for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, MD.

On Saturday I will be delivering about 15-20 items, mostly warm hats, to The Covenant House here in Atlanta, which provides temporary housing for homeless youth.

Thank you all for your support and your time that you put into this wonderful cause. Many people wish they could make a difference in the world. Well, we ARE making a difference!

Knits For Needs IN ACTION!

Knits For Needs is really making things happen! Our Ravelry group has really taken the bull by the horns and a few people are taking it upon themselves to head up some special projects for KFN.

Sandi in South Dakota is collecting and delivering items to her local Homeless Veteran's Shelter, which has had an influx of homeless veterans over the past few years and projects growing numbers. They mainly need men's hats and scarves, but could also use things like socks, slippers, gloves, and blankets.

Melinda in Pennsylvania is collecting and donating blankets to the Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, where her son receives treatment from time to time. Melinda says everything there is so white and they need COLOR! :) Blankets are really needed in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit as well as the Hemotology/Oncology Unit. All size blankets are needed and greatly appreciated! Another Raverly member has offered to collect and seam together 6in x 6in squares to make blankets to send to Melinda and Sinai Hospital.

If interested in these projects, first join Ravelry if you haven't already (its awesome!) and join our Knits For Needs group there (which is also awesome!), or you could message me and I'll put you in touch with the person you wish to contact. Email: knitsforneeds@gmail.com

Knits For Needs, as always, is working on reaching that goal of 400 items donated in 2009! I'm happy to say, I believe we are going to make it. Our count stands at around 335 and we have many people who are in the process of sending their items in. Plus, the above projects DO count in that total, of course. We are still collecting prayer squares, hats, gloves, mittens, blankets, scarves, socks, slippers, toys.... hey, anything you can knit or crochet for someone in need is appreciated! I am about to send a few hats and some fingerless mitts to a lady who just found out she has cancer. One of our Ravelry friends alerted us about her situation and this is just the sort of thing KFN loves to do, help those in need. We also will be donating to Rescue Atlanta, a homeless shelter, and possibly to NSPIRE, a homeless outreach that will actually pick up the items from my house, which will cut down on shipping costs. First I will talk to them to make sure the items WILL get into the hands of those in need. You know me, I like to be certain of that! We will also be donating to several other places throughout the US. If you have places in mind, please let me know.

THANK YOU once again for heeding our call for monetary donations to help with shipping!! And remember, clicking the ads here on the blog does earn us money. It is up to almost $40!

Have a wonderful day, and, as always, thank you for supporting our awesome cause!

5 Very Special KFN Supporters

As I explained in an earlier post, Knits For Needs's greatest need at the moment is monetary donations to help with shipping and other small costs. I would like to thank four very special people for heeding our call. I know in these tight times it is difficult to part with hard earned money, but you are dedicated to our cause and I appreciate that more than you know. Thank you Mom, Grandma, Jenny in Scotland, and Cathy Carter!! Because of you, Knits For Needs can afford to send out a few packages to people in need this season. You are helping people stay warm this winter... you ROCK!

**Don't forget that by clicking on our ads you can help KFN earn money.. yes, it is that simple. We have already earned about $25 this way!**

UPDATE: THANK YOU Cheryl in Texas for the donation of absolutely stunning scarves and hats (you are very talented!) and for the very generous monetary donation!! I'm so excited to see us growing and growing!

Flooding Strikes Woodstock

UPDATE: The PO Box is fine now!! It looks like they did not sustain much damage, which is hard to believe considering all the flooding. So.. safe to send items now. Send 'em on in!


I'm sure you all have heard about all of the flooding here in Atlanta. I'm in Woodstock and we were hit hard with tons of rain. Many places we frequent are under water, including our PO Box!! The post office is across the street just to the left of this picture to the left, which is right in the same area as the pic below.

Please do not send anything for the next few days... I'll let you know when everything is in working order.

This is a picture of a gas station that is not even a mile from my house.. just down the street!

My home and family are perfectly safe. We are up high and did not experience any flooding.. just tons and tons of rain and erosion.

I'll keep you posted about the PO Box.

A Kink To Work Out

Hello all!! As you know, Knits For Needs continues to grow and grow and grow, which is perfectly wonderful and I could not be happier. We have had approximately 200 skeins of yarn donated and our total number of items donated to KFN so far is 324!! We've almost reached our goal of 400 items donated in 2009. Keep sending in your items as you finish them. I really appreciate all of the loving support this special group has received.

HOWEVER, I need to discuss a current problem with you all and I'm open to any and all suggestions on how to solve it. I really assumed that with all of the support Knits For Needs has that we would receive monetary donations to help with shipping and other costs, such as the PO Box payment that is now due. My plan was to set up an account strictly for KFN and use the collected funds to help with these costs, but we have not received even one monetary donation! Do you know any friends or family members who might want to donate to a wonderful knitting charity?

I do not have Knits For Needs registered as a charity legally as of yet. I was planning to see where it went and how big it grew before I went ahead and did that, and I most certainly will as soon as I'm sure it is big enough and here to stay. In order for it to sustain itself, we will need monetary donations to help with cost. Now, because it is not officially a charity in the eyes of the government, I cannot offer a receipt for deduction purposes, but I can offer the wonderful feeling you will receive when you donate to a beautiful cause, such as a charity that donates our knit/crocheted items to cancer patients, the homeless, preemies, veterans, and other loved members of society. I can also assure you that all monies would be used for the charity and nothing else, but unfortunately I only have my "word" to give you :) And, of course, you can see all the good that we're doing by reading our blog.

I mean, I'm talking about donations of only $5 here, nothing big. Do you know anyone that could help? I'd really LOVE to see Knits For Needs grow huge and help tons of people across the country and I'm sure you all would too. Does anyone have any ideas to drum up some funds? Any ideas on how to get a sponsor? Oh, I forgot to mention also, I monetized this blog, which means there are ads on it now and we generate money per clicks on those ads, so click away :) All of this money will, of course, go to KFN.

Thanks for listening to my "schpiel" (how do you spell that?), I was really hoping NOT to make it. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all supporters and contributors to Knits For Needs! All of the donations we have received just warm my heart so much. Keep up the knitting and crocheting, and keep sending in whatever you'd like to donate to KFN whenever you can.

120 Hats!

I am so proud to announce that The Crochet Guild of America has donated 120 hats to Knits For Needs! The Crochet Guild of America is a not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving and advancing the art of crochet. Within it's membership is a group of professional crocheters who work in many aspects of the crochet industry. Among the professional members are designers, teachers, editors, manufacturers, publishers, and contract crocheters. One of our lovely supporters, named Jocelyn, told the group about Knits For Needs and they decided to donate their hats that they made at their Professional Development Day in Buffalo to our organization. All of the yarn for the hats was donated by Lion Brand Yarn, who also sponsored the event!

When I received the boxes of hats I was so excited that I couldn't wait to count them and also add them to what we have already collected. So as I sat amongst a huge pile of items, I learned that we have collected 207 items!! Now, we have already donated 117 items this year, so add these two figures together and we have a whopping total of 324 items (already donated or will be donated by end of year)!! So what does that leave us? 76? 76 more items need to be received for us to reach our lofty goal of 400 items donated in 2009. I think we're going to do it!

Fiber Arts Friday

Please visit and read Fiber Arts Friday on Alpacafarmgirl's blog... Merf's Turf and Knits For Needs are listed there today! http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com/

39 Prayer Squares

Today I'm sending out 39 prayer squares to the group Knit Wits, who attaches a charm and a prayer to each square and sends them to cancer patients, who hold their square while praying. I personally love this idea so much for several reasons. Although they are small, the message is powerful: we care about you. Imagine going through such a stressful and frightening time as chemo treatment and imagine how wonderful you'd feel if given an item that a perfect stranger took the time to create for just for you. The yarn is not important. The stitch is not important. The LOVE is the key, and the fact that you're taking the time to knit/crochet these squares, even just one, means that you do have the love for that stranger who needs some support in this very critical time in their life. I also love these squares because they are so easy and quick to work up, and they put to use those yarn scraps that you were wondering what to do with.

Thank you so much to all who have contributed to this project!! And, don't worry if you have not gotten your squares in yet.... just knit/crochet in your own time and send in when you can... no hurry. This is an ongoing project.

**Update.. I just went to send the squares and I received 10 more from Michele!!! Thank you so much! So the total that I sent in today was 49, not 39.**

Collection for Charity Still Growing

MANY thanks to Jacqueline and Terri, who sent in a combined donation of 33 knit and crocheted items!!

Ok folks, I just counted our items and so far we have donated/collected 153 items so far this year!! Our goal is to get to 400 by the end of the year. Keep knitting and crocheting and sending in your things, and keep up with us on the blog or other venues so you know where these items are headed to when we start deliveries again in September. On to 400!!

If you are knitting or crocheting prayer squares, I'd like to send in a shipment to them soon, so send those in asap! I'd like to send in our first donation of prayer squares in a couple weeks, maybe 3.

Thank you all supporters, followers, and contributors!!! Without you, Knits For Needs would just be me, and I can't knit that fast :)

KFN Featured in Fiber Arts Friday!

Knits For Needs is featured this week in Fiber Arts Friday! I'm so excited. For every person who links their blog to the site Katy is donating a dollar to KFN! And for every 5 people, she's donating one of her handmade alpaca yarn skeins (she's a real, genuine alpaca farmer :)). Here is the really important part: Only 3 more people need to link their blog and we'll get one more skein!! Go to: http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com/2009/06/fiber-arts-friday-16/ to learn more and to read our article all about our beloved group, Knits For Needs!

Birdies and Bears for Charity

Here are some pics of some things I've been knitting up for Knits For Needs. I plan to do many, many more... the birds in particular are really fun! I'll send you the pattern if you are interested in it. Both the birds and the bears are knit flat with 2 needles, which is all I can really do right now since I have not yet learned how to knit in the round.

Prayer Squares

Have scraps of yarn you can knit or crochet into 4 inch x 4 inch squares? We'll take your squares and provide them as "Prayer Squares" to chemo patients. They hold the prayer squares in their hands while praying. This is a great idea.. they are simple and quick to knit/crochet up! Let's start collecting these and I'll send them to an organization called Knit Wits who then attaches a charm and a prayer to each square before sending them to cancer centers. My daughter and I have already started knitting some. Send them on in!! (more info on this is on our Ravelry group discussion board)

Ravelry Group

Knits For Needs is now a Ravelry group! Join us!

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/knits-for-needs

Myra Rocks

Thank you Myra for sending in 12 more knit items today! They are beautiful! So.. let's make our total 109 now - Awesome! Onward to 400...

Collection Grows!

Thank you to Catherine and Lorraine for our most recent donation of a total of 17 items for our wonderful charitable group, Knits For Needs! Here is a pic of what they so lovingly knit and donated to those in need. Look at the cute little bear! I wish I could knit something like that. It's on my to-do list :)

Mucho thanks also go out to Myra, Diana, Tracy & her mother, Cheryl, and Michelle for knitting and/or crocheting items and sending them our way. Most of theirs has been donated already to the homeless, food banks, and to chemo patients in the Eastern US.

There are several of our Twitter followers who are working on things for KFN and one person left a comment on this blog letting us know she is working on several blanket squares for us! Another lady emailed me saying she has a bunch of scarves to send and she's crocheting many more items. And can I tell you how much yarn has been donated??? Lisa Marie has sent 5 boxes, yes, 5 boxes FULL of yarn for KFN. Thank you Lisa Marie and several others for your very generous donations of yarn. Because of you we can provide a LOT of warm stuff to people in need! Now, we still have not received any monetary donations, so I cannot pay to send you the yarn as of yet, BUT if you are willing to pay for shipping (you can pay me back after you get it), I will send you a bunch of free yarn. The yarn must be used to knit or crochet items for Knits For Needs, obviously.

And now, last but definitely not least, we have donated/collected 97 items so far (since January)!! That is great! Our goal is to donate 400 items by the end of the year, so keep 'em coming. As you know, we're taking the summer (well it is summer here in the US at least) off from shipments and deliveries, for obvious reasons, but we are collecting and stockpiling as many items as we possibly can for shipments starting in September. 400 here we come!! We can do this! Again, let me know if you want free yarn.

Here is a pic of all we have collected so far. We rock!!

Email me at knitsforneeds@gmail.com any time. I look forward to speaking with you further about this wonderful organization of people coming together for the greater good. Love you guys!

Interview about Knits For Needs

I was interviewed about Knits For Needs! Check it out.. you have to sign in to read it.. don't worry, its free:


http://loosethreadstitchers.com/Contents/Home.aspx

At the home page, click on "Meridith Zelaya and Knits For Needs" on the right.

Thanks for taking the time to do this! Let me know what you think!

Chemo Caps

We donate to all sorts of people in need, so send along all of your knit or crocheted items and they will go to someone who needs them. But if you prefer to make hats or other items for chemo patients, or anyone else in a hospital, please follow these guidelines:

For hospital patients:
- items must be very clean
- items must be individually bagged
- please do not use wool
- items must be from a smoke-free, pet-free home

Here's the good news: I will wash (carefully, I promise!) your items for you if you like. If I receive items that I think would be good for hospital patients and they haven't been washed and bagged, I always wash them and individually bag them. Even if you have smoke and/or pet dander in your house, still send your things and I will take care of them.

Patterns for chemo caps:
http://www.chemocaps.com/page3.htm
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/cancercaps.html

Stockpiling for Charity

Ok, now the stockpiling begins!! Since it is getting warmer out and people will be in less need for warm stuff, I think we'll hold off on shipments until, say, late September. What do you all think about this? I plan to gather as many items as I can over the summer and begin shipments when it begins getting cold once again.

Please send all items you wish to donate to: Knits for Needs, PO Box 551, Woodstock, GA 30188. Yarn and monetary donations can be sent there as well. The address is permanently on the left-hand side of our blog.

I will continue to update the blog often, so keep visiting us! I will keep you all posted on how many donations we are bringing in. I look forward to seeing tons of stuff!! Can't wait! Let's set a goal. We're at 74 items donated right now (just since Jan), I think, so how about our goal is 400 items total donated in 2009? Let's do it!

Blankets, mittens, hats, stuffed animals, scarves, hats, socks, slippers.. what can you knit or crochet? What are you willing to donate? Also, if anyone knows of an organization or group of people who are in need, please let us know and we'll add them to our project list. Would you like to donate to your neck of the woods? Let us know a good place to donate to and we'll send things. I usually search for homeless shelters and hospitals in a certain area and then I call them to see if they, indeed, are in need of warm things. Sometimes on their website they will have a wish list, which is helpful.

Email us anytime! Post comments any time! Visit our Facebook group and leave your comments please. We need your experiences posted there.

Work In Progress

I can't figure out why that image below is so huge.. just wanted to show the tag I've been using in all of our donated items. What do you think?

Items tagged with this:

Thank you!

I'd love to send out a big, huge THANK YOU to all of our supporters and, most importantly, to those who have sent their knit/crocheted items and yarn donations!! You are supporting a wonderful cause that all of us involved are so proud of. Also, thanks to Mom for supporting us monetarily as well :) She has paid for our PO Box and some shipping costs.

As you can see on the left side over there, I have added our email address and our new mailing address. Also, please message us any time for anything, and please leave your comments!

These 20 hats will be mailed out to St. Jude today! Thank you all who contributed. They are now back in their individual bags (they have to be very clean and individually bagged) and I put tags in the bags that say "Hand-knit for you with love by Knits for Needs " and included our blog address and email address. I also included "gently hand-wash in cold water and lay flat to dry". I will include these tags in everything we send now.

These hats went to The Covenant House Atlanta on March 4, 2009. The director sent me pictures of the homeless youth with the hats on!!! I cried :) Thank you all who donated for this project and others!

Hats, etc for homeless

Yes, this is me, Meridith :) This was our very first delivery of donated items. It was February 1 of this year, 2009. I took my daughter with me to put these in the hands of the homeless at Rescue Atlanta.

Brand spankin new to blogging

So people have been asking if Knits for Needs has a website or a blog, so I've thinking about it for awhile and, quite honestly, I've been pretty overwhelmed because I've never done anything like this before, so bear with me! So far, we have 92 members in our Facebook group (come join us!) and we have over 200 followers on Twitter (follow us!). Now, it looks like we have a blog!!

Knits for Needs is a knitting and crocheting charity that is made up of loving and dedicated people who donate their time, talents, and knit/crocheted items to charity. So far, since our inception in late January of 2009, we have donated over 70 items to charity. We have donated to Rescue Atlanta, a homeless outreach in Atlanta, The Covenant House Atlanta, a homeless outreach for youth in Atlanta, youth chemo patients at St. Jude, Litchfield Food Bank in Maine, and homeless in Detriot via my Aunt and Uncle's church. I am so proud of what this group has done and I look forward to seeing it grow and grow so we can help more people! We are always on the lookout for people in need, so please let us know if you know of a group of people who needs warm stuff. We supply blankets, toys, mittens, hats, socks, scarves, sweaters... anything you can knit or crochet to anyone in the United States who needs love and warmth!