It has been an amazing first year for Knits For Needs, and I thank every one of you for your support and contribution to this wonderful charity that, a year ago, was just an idea sitting in my head. Our goal for 2009 was to collect and donate 500 items and we weren't sure we'd be able to do it. In August, we were at 324 after receiving a huge donation of 120 hats from The Crochet Guild of America, and we were wondering if we'd ever make it to our goal, although 324 is quite an accomplishment! On November 16, we were at 405 items, and then, as if everyone came together to make sure our goal was reached, not only did we reach our goal of 500, but we soared to a whopping 634 items donated in 2009! Woo hoo - 634!
Knits For Needs thanks everyone who has nurtured this project into a huge, loving charity that is made up of giving people throughout the entire world. You should feel very special for using your time and talents to help those in need across the United States. Not only do we bring a bit of warmth to the people we donate to, but we send them a message of hope and love. Someone, somewhere took the time to knit or crochet something very special for them, and that may very well have been the only gift they received this year. You deserve a pat on the back for your contributions to Knits For Needs, be they knit/crocheted items, monetary donations, yarn, or just plain support. I am proud to be associated with you all and wish we could all sit around and knit and crochet together :) If you're around Woodstock, GA, let's get together!
Looking forward to 2010, I hear by announce our goal is going to be 900 items this year! I know we can do it. We overshot our goal for this year and we are growing by leaps and bounds. 900? Piece of cake :) That does NOT include our total for 2009. So that means that by this time next year, if we reach our goal, we would have donated over 1,500 items to people in need. Let's go for it! Shanda in North Carolina has been the very first to donate in 2010, making our current total for this year 11. Thank you Shanda and all who will contribute their time and talents to Knits For Needs in 2010.
Also, there is something new I am going to suggest to you all who love Knits For Needs as much as I do: let's promote it like crazy! Twitter it, Facebook it, email news channels and newspapers about what we are doing. Make sure you send them our blog address.
Let's make 2010 even bigger! Thanks to all!
Meridith Zelaya
Friday, January 8, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
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
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
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
Friday, December 18, 2009
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!!
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!!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
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!
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!
Monday, November 16, 2009
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.
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 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!!
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 arrive
d 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.
d 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 aremale.
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!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
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!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
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!
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!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
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!
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