Today I sent out two big boxes of yarn to two groups who knit and crochet for charity. One group is in New York and they knit/crochet items for children in treatment centers and domestic violence shelters. The other project that we donated yarn to is as follows...

"My name is Suzann and I am currently a third year student at Boston University studying health sciences. In recent months I have been moved by reports covering the widespread famine in Somalia that has left hundreds of thousands dead and over 12 million at risk of starvation. As a citizen of the world I want to do my part to make an impact and most importantly, save lives. This is where Project Knit for Somalia begins. Our purpose is to bring those that love knitting and knit-lovers across the country together to raise money for hunger relief in Somalia. I'm currently in the early stages of spreading word through social media and inviting Boston University student groups and students across the nation to lend their ears, hearts, and a few hours of their time.

Each person is given the freedom to knit any wearable item, though preferably scarves and hats, and I will take responsibility for selling the finished products and donating 100 percent of the proceeds to an international aid organization stationed in Somalia such as Save the Children, the American Refugee Committee, UNICEF, and Action Against Hunger. In order to mobilize quickly we'll need yarn, and a lot of it. This is where I would appreciate any help in providing yarn that your organization can give. My goal is for Project Knit for Somalia to raise $500 in proceeds, of which every cent will be donated by November 13 or World Kindness Day. Each dollar can keep a Somali child or refugee alive for another day."

We are very happy to support these organizations by supplying them some yarn that they need and we have!!

Also, Lynne from GA stopped by my house today and brought tons of knit items and took a lot of yarn to use for her charity projects.

Thank you so much Lynne for donating 8 scarves, 11 lap robes, 26 hats, and 7 prayer squares! Also, thank you to Myra who donated 7 baby hats, to Cheryl who donated 1 shawl, 1 fingerless mitts, 5 scarves, 3 pairs of socks, and 10 hats, to Karen who donated 10 hats, and to Nancy in Baton Rouge (geaux Tigers!!!) who donated 5 scarves!

Yarn Donation From KFN

Today I'm sending out a huge box of yarn to the charity below.

*****************

Dear Knits for Needs,

You are ANGELS. We really need whatever you donate, especially fun fur.

Please send your donation to:

Handmade Especially for You

30065 Grandpoint Lane

Rancho Palos Verdes CA 90275

Handmade is a real 501(c)3 so we will send you a receipt for your donation as soon as we receive it. If you're interested, here is an info letter we send to prospective volunteers/donors:

Welcome to Handmade Especially for You (501(c)3). We knit and crochet comfort scarves and distribute them to shelters for abused women. In 2010, we donated 10,000 comfort scarves to 27 shelters in CA. This looks like a lot, but we still need more because there is so much abuse that shelters are always full. Currently we make at least 800 scarves each month and send them to 43 shelters in S. CA. We need 5,000 for the Holidays so we really need YOU!

Here are the specs for making comfort scarves:

big needles (size 15 or 17) or big hooks (K, N, P)
soft yarn (for comfort)
happy color
at least 4 inches wide but no more than 5 inches wide
at least 60 inches long
open stitch (for distribution in a warm climate)
some decoration like fun fur or ribbon to individualize each scarf and make it a personal gift for the recipient

Please send your finished scarves to:

Handmade Especially for You c/o Leslye Borden
30065 Grandpoint Lane
Rancho Palos Verdes CA 90275

If you would like me to send you free yarn, please send me your address and tell me if you prefer knitting or crocheting. And please make a donation to cover the cost of my shipping the yarn to you. You can donate through PayPal. We have a link on our website: www.handmadeespecially.org

Thanks in advance for your participation.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Leslye Borden, Founder
www.handmadeespecially.org
501(c)3 EIN: 26-3529292

If you need any other info or have other questions, please ask me. I'm easy to reach. 310 547 3673

N GA Knitting Guild Meeting

Last night I met with the North Georgia Knitting Guild to speak on behalf of our beloved charity, Knits For Needs. Naturally, I am wide awake at 4am Friday morning because I am so darned excited about how the meeting went and also about the future of KFN!

There were about 40 people in attendance, all knitting away, while I informed them about what we do here at KFN. Everyone was full of questions, ideas, and gratitude for the wonderful things we are doing together to make a difference in the lives of people in need. I was so pleasantly surprised to find that they had already collected some items for us and also made a sizable monetary donation to assist with our shipping costs! This awesome group donated: 3 super-cute knit toys (for a baby? possibly they could even be cat toys for shelter cats?), 4 hats, 2 scarves, 4 baby sets (tiny little hat & booties), and 8 bears. The bears will be donated to firemen who provide them to children affected by fire. I apologize for the lack of pictures, but, again, it is 4am and the lighting in here leaves much to be desired :)
I would like to send a huge THANK YOU out to all those in attendance for having me, for being so supportive, and for your donations! All indications point to NGKG becoming a huge contributor to our efforts!

As you know, our goal for this year is to provide 3,000 hand-knit/crocheted items to people in need. We have collected 329 items so far, so we have a long way to go, but I am confident we will reach our goal, especially since our donations pick up in the fall and winter months. If you are not sending your items in to KFN but are donating to charity on our behalf, please be sure to let me know so I can count your items.

In other news, I need a person who shares my vision about KFN who would like to brainstorm with me and help me with things I need to learn more about, such as registering as a 501(c)3, taxes, money, etc. As expected, Knits For Needs continues to grow and I need a "right-hand-man"! If you think you are the person for the "job", please let me know via email: knitsforneeds@gmail.com. Preferably, this person would be local and able to physically sit down and discuss subjects with me, but this is not a requirement.

One of the many things I love about Knits For Needs is that we take any and all knit/crocheted items and find homes for them. I feel that there are so many people (and animals!) out there who need a little love and we show it to them by taking our time and skills to reach out and let them know people care about them. Our items will not bring back someone's burned home or cure cancer, but they may just give a person the support, love, and strength they need to go on. I want to show this love to as many people as possible, so, as you know, we do not focus on particular items, but instead we collect and donate anything you knit or crochet. We WILL find homes for your items!


Have a wonderful weekend and happy knitting and crocheting! Go KFN!

Contest Results!

FINALLY I sat down today and drew names for our contest. Actually, my daughter's best friend Mary drew the names and we have 7 winners! As you may remember, our contest actually ended in the beginning of April - sorry for the delay! Here are our winners, in no particular order:

- Lynn in GA
- Linda in CT
- Lorraine in SC
- Nancy K
- Sweezer
- Alicia (AmGoth) in NJ

Congratulations! We have everything from yarn to patterns to books to share and I will be contacting the people who are donating our prizes over the next few days.

This is what I need from the winners: email me with your full name, home (shipping) address, your email address, and a preference for crochet or knitting in case you get a pattern. I need this info asap so we can get the prizes to you! In most cases I have your address, but email me this info just in case. (knitsforneeds@gmail.com)

Thank you for participating and for continuing to do all you do to help people in need. That is what Knits For Needs is all about! Thank you also to the people who are donating prizes - your support of our organization is so appreciated.

Also, check out our new fan page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Knits-For-Needs/225048020841259 Our old FB group will be archived soon and all members will be lost, so join us on this new one!

New Donations

Hello! It has been awhile since I updated the blog. I've been super busy with work and finally have a chance to catch everyone up on the goings-on of KFN!

We have many new donations to thank people for:

- Alicia and her mother: 38 hats, 3 blankets, 1 sweater, and 1 scarf
- quirkyvirgo: 16 blanket squares
-Lorraine in SC: 4 hats, 2 scarves, and a monetary donation
-Nancy: 8 hats, 3 scarves
- Karen in GA: 3 hats, 1 shawl, and 3 scarves

Thank you very much for all you do for people in need!! Remember, not all of these items come directly to us in Atlanta. Some of the items are ones that our members have donated to places. If you are knitting and/or crocheting and donating some of your things, let us know!!

Our current count for 2011 is: 269! Keep knitting/crocheting!!

I plan to finalize our contest winners today, so keep posted, and thanks to everyone who entered!

Knits For Needs in Action

First of all, many thanks to the following people:

Mary in GA (my mom): monetary donation (paid for all of the following shipments!)
Lynn in GA: 7 blankets, 2 blanket squares, 14 hats, 1 cowl, and 2 scarves (wow!)
Myra in IL: 12 hats, 2 scarves, 1 cute purse

Thank you all so much for your support and contributions!!! Our count of donated items is up to 183 for this year so far. Onward to 1,500!

Yesterday I spent hours and hours going through all of our things, separating them, determining where they were going, documenting, etc. I've been behind on this because, as many of you know, I just started working full-time as a pre-k teacher. I've been a stay-at-home mom for 10 years, so, as you can imagine, this has been quite the adjustment for the whole family! It feels great to have finally mailed and delivered some items out, and I'm excited to share this news with you all. Here is what I shipped/delivered yesterday:

20 prayer squares to CT
23 scarves/cowls/shawls to the rape crisis center in MD
12 hats, 1 purse, 6 pairs of socks, and 10 scarves to Timothy's Cupboard in GA
4 lap blankets to my grandmother's nursing home in GA
20 squares to Janet in KY, who collects them and turns them into blankets
(about) 50 baby items to Northside Hospital's preemies in GA (forgot to count them before I boxed them up!)

Sorry for the lack of pictures.. I left my camera at school!

For more information about Knits For Needs, please join us on the following sites:
Ravelry: Knits For Needs
Twitter: @knitsforneeds
Facebook: Knits For Needs

Also, our contest is still going strong. We have about 30 people who have entered and achieved many entries into the drawing, either by tweeting about the contest, writing about us on their blog, or donating knit/crocheted items or monetary donations. The contest ends April 1 - enter today!

Thanks again for supporting Knits For Needs. I'm excited and proud of our growth and look forward to providing more and more people with hand-knit/crocheted items made with love. Thank you for volunteering your time and skills to help those in need!

Coming Together For People In Need

Have I mentioned how I love to find things in our PO Box before? Ok, so I have. Well, won't hurt to say it again! I LOVE finding things in our box!!! Picture me sitting here with a huge smile on my face :) Other than being up at 6am on a Sunday (I can't sleep in!), I am a super happy camper.

Many thanks to Alicia in New Jersey and her mother, Lucila, for creating and donating 26 hats! Here is what Alicia said on Ravelry: "Just mailed 8 hats out to The Ships Project and 18 hats to Operation Beanies for Service Members for a total of 26 hats :) I only made 14 of the hats, my mom made the other 12." You guys rock.

Thank you also to Bonnie, also in New Jersey, and Myra in Connecticut for sending in 5 hats each.

And, last but not least, thanks to Linda, also in CT, for sending in 3 scarves, 5 hats, and a monetary donation.

Our current count for this year is 116. Knits For Needs continues to grow, which means we are helping more people! Now I just need to get on the ball and send some things out... expect a blog post about that coming up.

Our contest is going strong. Lots of people have several entries into the drawing for prizes, through either tweeting about the contest or sending things in. And one person has 5 entries for writing a blog post about us! The contest ends April 1st, so get those things in and spread the word.

I heart KFN! Happy Sunday!

Contest Time!

Another contest, shall we? I think we'll do this contest similar to the last one, only this time we'll be collecting funds as well. We need to raise about $400 more in order to register as a 501(c)3 (yea!!) and this is exciting news for us all! I can't wait to take this awesome charity to the next level and see it grow even bigger. The bigger we are, the more people we can clothe with warm goodies knit/crocheted from the heart, and that it what we are all about here at Knits For Needs.

So, here are the contest details:

1) If you donate a knit/crocheted item to KFN, you will get an entry into a drawing for prizes. For every 5 items, you'll get one more entry. ie: if you donate 22 items, you'll get 5 entries.. 1 for the first item, 1 more for each multiple of 5 more. (Does this make sense? :))

2) For every $5 you donate, you'll get one entry into the drawing.

3) For every tweet about @knitsforneeds 's contest, you get one more entry (please use hashtag #charityknittingcontest, post a link to this blog post, and address @knitsforneeds so I see the tweet).

4) Write about Knits For Needs and our contest on your blog and you'll get 5 entries. Make sure I see the post.

5) Contest runs from February 1, 2011 - April 1, 2011.

I am drumming up some prizes.. more info to come. If you can donate a prize for our contest, PLEASE do! Keep it with you (do not mail it in), email me that you can donate, and I'll let you know the winner when the contest is over.

HAVE FUN! And remember, this is ALL about helping other through our work. 100% of all items donated go to people in need, and 100% of all monetary donations will go to registration of our charity and will be used for shipping costs.

Thanks in advance to all who participate!!! Game on!!

Knits For Needs
PO Box 551
Woodstock, GA 30188

knitsforneeds@gmail.com

You're Knittin'!

Big thanks to Cheryl in Texas for sending in 2 shawls, 1 cowl, 1 pair of socks, 1 hat, 2 scarves, and a monetary donation! You were quite varied in your knitting preferences... we appreciate that :)

Thanks also to Linda in CT for donating 7 scarves and 7 hats, as well as a monetary donation.

And thank you to Lori in SC who sent in 5 hats to our donation site for the homeless veterans project (read more about that in our group on Ravelry.com).

We appreciate all of you so much!

More to come about an upcoming contest... any ideas about the contest? Can you donate a prize or two? Email me! knitsforneeds@gmail.com

Registering Knits For Needs

I've been looking into registering our charity as a 501(c)3 non-profit, which has been my goal for some time. This would get us our tax exempt status and qualify us as a legitimate non-profit organization. This is wonderful and exciting news, but comes with a price. It looks like it will be right around $1,000 for us to do this, which means we need more funds. After we raise these funds and register, the only other funds we'd need to upkeep would be our shipping funds, which, right now, run about $150/year, which isn't much. However, if we keep growing, this figure will go up as we will be making further shipments, but we are looking into getting more donation sites and hand-delivering more items, which cuts down on the cost of shipping.

I am excited about the direction Knits For Needs is going in, and I think registering as a 501 (c)3 non-profit will further our growth. If you would like to contribute monetarily to our organization, please use the "donate" button on our blog or send funds to: Knits For Needs, PO Box 551, Woodstock, Ga 30188. We would greatly appreciate any and all funds we receive, and thank you so much to the people who have already donated.

As always, keep sending in your knit/crocheted items! This is an ongoing project for us... we collect items throughout the year and donate to people in need throughout the year as well, although the winter months are our busiest times, as far as shipments go. Thank you for your support!

What an Awesome 2010 for KFN!

First of all, big thanks to Josephine in PA for sending in 6 hats. Her daughter sent in Josephine's hats with a wonderful note saying Josephine is a 90-year-old open-heart surgery patient who is finding her knitting and giving to others great therapy. You're awesome, Josephine!! Thanks!

Also, I wanted to mention a note I received from Lisa at Threads Of Compassion, the organization that donated our scarves to a rape crisis center. Lisa says, "Dear Meridith and Knits For Needs: Thank you so much for your scarf donation in November to Threads of Compassion. Because of your donation, we were able to collect a total of 238 scarves in 2010! Your scarves have made a difference! Thank you so much for helping to make Threads of Compassion a success in our 2010 year!" I love hearing things like this!

We had a great 2010 here at Knits for Needs! We collected a whopping 1,070 items for people in need! I still have some things I need to send out this winter. Way to go guys! I am so proud of our group!

So far this year, 2011, we have collected/donated 40 items, thanks to Alicia, who frequents our Ravelry group. You and your mother, who also donated a lot of items, are awesome Alicia... it is amazing how much you give to people in need. Proud to be working with you!

I think our goal for 2011, since we went way over our goal of 900 for last year, should be 1,500 collected/donated by the end of the year. What do you think? I think we can do it! We are really growing and I'm still in the process of getting our charity registered, which will help a lot.

So... onward to 1,500!!!

Warm Holiday Heart

Nothing warms my heart like being around family and friends at this time of the year, but this year my heart grows even warmer when I go check our Knits For Needs PO box. There were 5 packages awaiting me yesterday!

Huge thanks to my Aunt Nola up in Michigan for donating some yarn and a sizable monetary donation... we'll keep going for a long time because of your generosity and the generosity of others who support us. Thank you so much!

Thanks also to Lorraine in South Carolina for donating 5 hats and yet another monetary donation! Myra in Illinois sent 2 scarves for the rape crisis center and 2 hats as well... thanks! And Marie in Georgia sent in 4 scarves. Thank you all so much for your support and taking the time to use your skills to help others.

The spirit of Knits For Needs is alive and well! We are up to 1,048 items donated this year :) Happy Holidays!

A Word About Monetary Donations

Hello all :) I just heard from someone on Facebook who said she wants to make donations in her friends' names as Christmas gifts for them. What a great idea! If anyone else is interested in doing the same, or if you simply want to donate for yourself this Holiday Season, as of right now, we have two ways of doing that. You can donate via Paypal by going to Paypal and making a donation using our email address, which is knitsforneeds@gmail.com. Or, you can simply send a check to our address: Knits For Needs, PO Box 551, Woodstock, GA 30188.

I do not have a button for Paypal on our blog because I can't figure out how to do it :) If anyone knows how, please email me: knitsforneeds@gmail.com

Also, since we are not legally registered as a charity yet, I cannot offer receipts for your records. I do, however, guarantee that 100% of all monetary donations we receive go towards shipping and other minor upkeeping, such as renewing the PO Box. I have a separate account called "KFN" in which I keep these funds put aside for our needs. If anyone knows anything about registering as a charity, please email me. I need to start thinking about that since we are really growing!

Again, Happy Holidays!

22 Hats for Cold Kids

I just sent out 22 hand-knit and crocheted hats to Cleveland yesterday. A lady who works at a pre-school up there sent me a message on Facebook asking who could help get some warm items to several kids in her school who didn't have warm things. I was very glad to help out.. this is what Knits For Needs loves to do!

More Thanks for More Donations

Thank you to Bonnie in New Jersey for sending in 9 beautiful hats! Three of them are going out next week to some kids at a pre-school in Chicago who do not have warm things to wear.

Thanks also to Rhonda in Georgia for donating 2 sweet baby blankets and 6 adorable baby sweaters. These will all go to babies in need at a hospital very soon... stay tuned. Also, thank you, Rhonda, for sending a monetary donation to help with shipping costs!

Our current count of things donated to KFN in 2010 is: 1,035! How exciting to know we are helping so many people!

11 Hats for Cold Kids

My kids' school has a mitten and hat tree where they hang items for kids in need this winter. I'm sending in 11 of our hats today for them to hang on it! It is currently 16 degrees here in Atlanta.. I hope they get the items quick!

Over 1,000 Items Donated!

So I have some very exciting and heart-warming news to share: We've now reached 1,014 items donated to Knits For Needs in 2010!! Not only did we meet our goal of 900, but we've surpassed it significantly. All items donated go to warm up people in need, such as chemo patients, preemies, the homeless, hospital patients, and anyone else in need. I'm sending out some hats to someone in Chicago who works at a pre-school where many of the kids come in without warm clothes. I love our organization!

Tons of thanks go out to Sandi in South Dakota who took 19 hats to the homeless veterans shelter near her home. Also, thank you Cathy in Georgia, who donated 7 hats, 1 scarf, and some money for shipping. Thanks also go out to Elizabeth in Alabama for the hat she donated and to Beth in Massachusetts, who donated 21 hats and some money for shipping as well. You guys have been busy! Thank you also to all the people out there who have donated squares to be turned into blankets. I don't know everyone's names to thank you individually, but your support is much appreciated. Thank you so much for your undying support of our ongoing mission to help people in need of warm, hand-knit and crocheted items. Certainly what warms them the most is the thought that people out there care and are taking the time to make these items for them.

If you're wondering how you can support Knits For Needs, simply knit or crochet an item and send it in! Every item counts. Our contact information is on the left side of our blog. Feel free to email us with any questions or comments. We also accept monetary donations to help with shipping these items all over the United States, as well as yarn donations. Which reminds me, I have plenty of yarn to be used for Knits For Needs if anyone needs any. I ask that you pay $10 for shipping, and I'll send you a box full of yarn.

If 2010 was this big for KFN, what will 2011 be like? I can't wait! We'll set an even bigger goal and I'll bet we'll reach it. Help spread the word about KFN by tweeting about it and telling your friends. Also, a goal of mine is to have articles written about what we're doing or even be featured on the news, so email your papers and news stations about us. The more support we get, the bigger we'll grow!

Happy Holidays!

Contest Results

Thank you to everyone who participated in our contest by sending in knit/crocheted items! Everyone who donated from January 1 till June 30 was entered into a drawing for prizes. For every 5 items donated, you got another entry into the drawing. I had my kids help me with drawing names and we have 8 winners!!: Melinda from PA, Michelle from PA, Lynne from GA, Shanda from SC, Terri from OH, Myra from IL, Lorraine from SC, and Alicia from NJ.

I have everyone's addresses, but what I don't have and what I need are your email addresses. 5 of the prizes are E-books of knitting patterns from one of my favorite Twitter Knitters, @fiberfool. Two people will be getting a book of knitting patterns donated by my friend Heidi, and one person will be getting some stitch markers donated by @xxferretgirlxx on twitter.. she's also on Ravelry as NinjaBunnyStudios. Thanks so much for the prize donations, guys!

Since most of these prizes are knitting related, I need to know which of you ONLY crochet so I can make sure you get crochet-related prizes.

So, to recap, for the winners of the contest, I need you to email me:

a) your email address
b) tell me if you only crochet

Our email address is on the left side of the blog. I think that is all the info I need at the moment. Thanks again to all who support and donate to Knits For Needs! Let's keep it up.. onward to 900!

New Donations

Ok, so the picture isn't the best, I just realized, but you get the picture...we'd had over 50 items donated to Knits For Needs within the past week! Many thanks to Lynn in GA, Lorraine in SC, Myra in IL, and Shanda in NC. Your contributions and support mean a lot to me and to the people who will be receiving your items. I love working on this project with you and with all of our other members and supporters across the world! Our total for this year is 613 donated items! We're well on our way to our goal of 900.

Let me figure out how many drawing entries everyone has and I'll announce the winners of our contest with in the week. Happy 4th!

125 Hats For Halos Of Hope

A few days ago, I sent out 125 hats to Halos Of Hope, an organization that provides hand-knit/crocheted hats to chemo patients. I saw that they had a need for hats on Twitter, so I decided this would be a good opportunity for us to help some chemo patients with our items. Here are a couple pictures of my daughter and me with the hats I sent. Sierra helps me a bit with the charity so I thought I'd include her in the picture. Halos of Hope mentioned something about a press release, so I'm sending these pics to them as well. Many thanks and kudos to those who helped by sending in items!!