|
Monthly Anniversary Celebration!
March is the third month of the year. Incorporate some element of “three” into your project! This honors the commitment to be a channel of Hope, Healing, and Peace, or of Compassion, Creativity and Comfort.
Three represents the person making the item, the person receiving it, and the power of inspiration that motivates us to be of service. It also represents the belief that increased peacemaking efforts by people in the three Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) are essential for world peace. |
|
|
Dear Friends,
As we continue to celebrate our 20th anniversary year, I want to take a moment to honor the incredible impact we made together last year. Thanks to our dedicated makers, donors, Peace Makers, and volunteers, Knitting4Peace delivered thousands of handmade items of warmth and dignity to communities near and far. In 2025, our deliveries reached over 50 partners across the U.S.—from local elementary schools and hospitals to shelters and family support programs. Some highlights include:
Colorado: Denver Health, Children’s Hospital, Montview Elementary, Trinity Lutheran Preschool, Homeless Meal Ministry, UC Health NICU, and many more.
Other U.S. States: Missouri, Massachusetts, Kansas, Texas, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, and Virginia.
Internationally: Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, Eswatini, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. |
|
Every stitch you created, every item you donated, and every hour you gave helped bring comfort, dignity, and hope to children, families, and communities in need. Your generosity makes this work possible, and we are so grateful for your continued support.
As we move into our 20th anniversary year, we look forward to celebrating our history and impact while continuing to spread warmth, hope, and compassion—one stitch at a time. With gratitude,
Kelly |
|
|
Community Member of the Month: Chris M, Kingman, AZ |
A strong dedication to peace and helping others has been a driving force throughout Chis M’s life. She believes we all have a genetic predisposition for kindness and caring for people. Chris, who resides in Kingman, Arizona began knitting when she was only 8 years old. However, she took a long break from the craft before picking it up again in 2001. At that time, Chris had become irate at what was happening in Iraq but felt powerless and wanted to do something tangible to help. She heard that blankets were needed so she gathered a group of other like-minded knitters to do what they could to meet that need. The compassionate group ended up making and donating over 600 blankets for Iraqi babies and children!
Chris had rediscovered her love for knitting so after the large blanket donation, she continued knitting and donating what she made locally. However, during Covid she found it was increasingly difficult to find organizations where she could safely donate. A Google search led her to Knitting4Peace, whose mission and goals matched her own dedication to working for peace in our world and she has been donating to K4P ever since!
Hats are Chris’ favorite items to make, but like so many other crafters, she branches out and makes other items too, especially when she sees them on the “Requested Items” section of the K4P newsletter. Chris describes herself as “type A” and is a voracious knitter. She has made over 500 items in the past few years, donating some locally while sending others to Knitting4Peace. Chris chooses where she will donate based on current needs. For example, if there is a cold spell in Arizona, she will donate warm items to the school district, the Kingman Aid to Abused People (KAAP), and to a homeless shelter. Chris has developed relationships with all three local groups but also continues to regularly send needed items to Knitting4Peace in Denver, particularly when she can meet an item request.
|
| Chris and her sweet pup, Sunny |
Chris encourages other knitters to “tap your compassionate heart and allow it to guide you.” She said that she often uses the mantra of “I’m knitting for peace” as she knits. Repeating this phrase in a rhythmic way fits with her meditation practice, allowing her to think about both WHAT she is doing and WHY she is doing it. Chris lives up to her email tag line of “eternal optimist” and believes that peace is both simple and quite possible.
Knitting4Peace is honored to be a small part of Chris’ journey and we thank her for being our Community Member of the Month. |
|
|
Infant hats, booties, and mittens |
| |
|
Item Requests: Infant hats, baby booties, and mittens
We are totally out of infant hats and would love to receive more. The very smallest size we can accept is 13” circumference so please do not send in hats smaller than that. The most requested infant sizes are 14”-18” circumference, with hat heights of 5.5” – 7”. These will fit most infants, newborn- 12 months of age. We’ve also recently begun to receive requests again for baby booties.
These should be made of soft, washable yarns and be between 3”-5” from heel to toe.
As always, we are begging for mittens! We are so grateful to those who have sent us mittens but we need more as they are in very high demand. Both adult and child sizes are needed and typically sent out as soon as we receive them.
A special thanks to Grace S (the “mitten queen”), Carolyn B, Judy S, Andrea W, Carol O, Carolyn S, Janice P, Donna S, Aron D, First Parish UCC Peace Pod, Mountain View Peace Pod, and the Sewing Circle of Bethel Presbyterian Church who all have recently sent in large numbers of mittens and tend to do so regularly. Please know that we truly appreciate each and every one of you who has sent in a pair, or two or more! It’s all so very helpful.
|
|
|
Consistency is Key: Peace Pals with Realistic Skin Tones
For many children, one of the most important aspects of Peace Pals is that they can “see themselves” in their new friends. Because of this, we ask that all Peace Pals have realistic skin tones and eyes, plus a friendly smile. Please do not send in Pals with “skin” or “eye” colors that are not realistic! Many of our experienced makers recommend using Skein Tones from Lion Brand. We often have plenty of the lighter colored Pals so those with medium and darker brown skin tones are typically most needed.
When it comes to hair color, anything goes and Peace Pals with wild hair colors, as well as more typical hair colors in a variety of styles, are welcome. Peace Pals with glasses and those with hijabs are always in high demand. If you add decorations, it’s best that they are made of yarn so they do not pose a choking hazard for young children.
We recently were asked by a local school to bring them more Peace Pals with hijabs. The school shared that they initially had only requested Pals with hijabs for girls. However, they soon found that many of their boys were specifically asking for Pals with hijabs because they reminded them of their mothers. We really would like to meet this need! For more information on making Peace Pals, please see the videos from our many Peace Pal Make-A-Longs on our Knitting4Peace YouTube Channel.
|
| |
|
The Fine Print:
*Customers must have a registered King Soopers or City Market loyalty card account to link to your organization.
*If you do not yet have a King Soopers or City Market loyalty card, they are available at the customer service desk at any King Soopers or City Market
REMEMBER, purchases will not count for K4P until after your register your loyaltycard.
You must swipe your registered King Soopers or City Market loyalty card or use the phone number that is related to your registered King Soopers or City Market loyalty card when shopping for each purchase to count.
|
| Have you registered with your Kroger store yet?
Please consider linking your Kroger rewards card with K4P. It's free to you and allows us a small monthly donation from the corporation.
Our assigned Kroger NPO (Non-Profit Organization) number is HL532.
To Use the King Soopers or City Market Community Rewards Program:
Simply visit the appropriate link below for your store:
For King Soopers Stores - go to http://www.kingsoopers.com
For City Market Stores - go to http://www.citymarket.com
Once logged into your King Soopers or City Market account you can search for Knitting4Peace either by name or HL532 and then click Enroll. New users will need to create an account which requires some basic information, a valid email address and a loyalty card.
|
|
|
Please note: Our donation intake is run solely by volunteers. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to immediately acknowledge each package as it arrives. Remember, you can always track your package with your carrier.
Remember, mailing costs qualify as tax-deductible nonprofit donations. Keep your receipts! Due to a lack of storage, K4P cannot accept yarn donations unless they are new and still in the original wrapper.
Thank you for understanding. |
| Mail or bring items to: 2600 N. Leyden St., Denver, CO 80207
Drop-Off hours: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 9am-12pm The church is no longer staffed by an assistant so please be sure to go during the timeframe mentioned above.
Ring the doorbell and you will be let into the church to drop off your items. EACH mailed box or dropped-off bag must include a note with the DATE, NAME, MAILING ADDRESS, E-MAIL, AND PEACE POD. Did you make a local delivery this month? Click the button below to report it and don't forget to send pics! |
|
|
Special thanks to Park Hill Congregational Church for their continued support and allowing us to share their space in Denver. |
|
|
HAVE A QUESTION ON HOW TO MAKE SOMETHING? ASK ARNA! |
|
|
Are you ready to support the mission of Knitting4Peace? Donate using the button below! |
|
Contact Arna@knitting4peace.org with questions about patterns and guidelines. Check out our social media posts for the latest news (links below). If you have questions about deliveries or donations please email info@knitting4peace.org. ALL donations sustain our work. Donate online or mail checks to:
2600 Leyden Street, Denver, CO 80207
Donations to Knitting4Peace are tax-deductible. |
|
|
Our Contact Information
*{{Organization Name}}*
*{{Organization Address}}*
*{{Organization Phone}}*
*{{Organization Website}}*
*{{Unsubscribe}}* |
| |
|
|
