Craft-Related Charities

[Padmasana]

A love of crafts is a gift; why not use it to better the world we all share? I compiled a list of crafting-related charities and organizations below.

All are invited to post pictures of the projects they've done for charity here as well, or add charities to the list! Literally HUNDREDS more charities can be found here: http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/charity-links.html

Bears and Blankets
Website: http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/bandb.html
Items to Donate: Handmade blankets and teddy bears
People Assisted: Homeless, Hospitals, Domestic Violence victims, NICU, those displaced by natural disasters

Project Linus
Website: http://www.projectlinus.org
Items to Donate: Handmade blankets
People Assisted: "children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need"

Fostering Love For Children
Website: http://fosteringlove.tripod.com/crafts/index.html
Items to Donate: Duffel bags or totes (more items on the site)
People Assisted: Foster kids; the bags are to help them carry their belongings instead of using garbage bags.

Carewear
Website: http://www.carewear.org/
Items to Donate: hats, booties, mittens, bedsocks, shawls, lap blankets
People Assisted: NICU/ICU patients, chemotherapy patients, geriatric patients. A list of participating hospitals is available on the site.

Rosary Army
Webstite: http://www.rosaryarmy.com
Items to donate: Beaded Rosaries
People Assisted: Armed Forces  

[Trekkette]

You forgot the varius groups that knit/crochet blankets for soldiers.

Don't mean to critisize, just helping!  

[Padmasana]

Any help is appreciated! Do you happen to have any links or charity names so I can add them to the list?  

[AngwyMallard]

Wah, how nice of you to do a list~ My problem just is that I live nowhere near United States and even UK (I'm sure Finnish organizations have ~something~ going on though..)

Personally though, I wouldn't feel right knitting for soldier charity. sweatdrop That'd be like.. Supporting warring or something?  

[Trekkette]

Padmasana

Any help is appreciated! Do you happen to have any links or charity names so I can add them to the list?

I have NO idea, i've just read about them. Try an Internet search for it.

@KitsunekoChan- the war may be stupid, piontless and idiotic, but the men and women fighting it are still human beings.


wow i just got preachy. it sometimes happens. don't get offened  

[Grey-eyed_Athena]

[seems a little... silly to support the soldiers and not the war. so many of them have made a choice to help and protect the freedoms we enjoy in this country with their lives. and it's a choice so few people have the courage to make, so I think it should be respected. besides, there's no sense in having an army if we don't use it...]

Really, though, I'm posting because I came across a charity opportunity for us beaders just a couple of months ago- it has religious undertones, though, so I wasn't sure if it should be included. There are a couple of organizations that eagerly accept and distribute donated rosaries, either knotted or chained or beaded. I didn't bookmark the site (though, I should have), but I'm going to find it now. smile

edit: here's one! http://www.rosaryarmy.com/  

[AngwyMallard]

My conscience just gets more satisfied from helping people who lose their family, home and fortune to the war rather than the people who (often willingly so) cause that crap. *shrugs*  

[kochi~mochi]

I have full respect for the people fighting. I may not totally support the war, but i respect the people fighting. And i know people who are only in the army because they had nowhere to live and well, when your being kicked out and none of your friends have any room for you (or can't put you up due to parents) the army looks good.

Anywho. I love the idea of crafting charities, i donate to project linus. The yarn store near me has a "yarn for project linus" drop, where you can leave whatever you have left over, or new skeins of yarn. Once a month or so they have 'project linus social knit' where you sit and work on blanket squares. I help join the ones from the last month into blankets.  

[[Grendel]]

For those who like card making or make small gifts

Hugs and Hope

http://www.hugsandhope.org

Make a child smile

http://www.makeachildsmile.com


I was in a mail sending charity when I was younger and it made such a difference to me.  

[wingedorange]

My personal favorite is The Snuggles Project which collects knitted/crocheted/quilted blankets for shelter animals. smile  

[Peppermint Elf]

How about F.I.R.E.? Flagstaff International Relief Effort. F.I.R.E.'s mission is to provide assistance to the neglected populations of the world, in areas with few relief agencies limited media attention, and remote locations. They need sweaters, mittens, blankets, scarves, socks, and afghans. Fleece items are more than welcome, so it doesn't have to be knitted.

"Flagstaff-based volunteers collect, pack, and ship donations, traveling to Mongolia to personally distribute clothing to individuals and relief organizations. The direct contact between U.S. volunteers and Mongolians builds bridges of cross-cultural understanding."  

[Castilleja]

We should also remember the other types of charities -- my semi-adopted grandmother used to knit/sew clothes for/repair stuffed animals for things like Salvation Army....

awww.... I miss her.