| Monthly Anniversary Celebration! August – Is it getting hot (and staying hot!) where you live? Finger puppets are tiny and you won’t have a lapful of yarn. There are several patterns linked on our website, including one that was developed specifically for Knitting4Peace last year by Natasha Hanson, the Fingerprint puppet. Finger puppets can be of animals or people. Size to fit on an adult finger.
Check out patterns here: https://www.knitting4peace.org/patterns |
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July Update: You Did It!
What an incredible way to celebrate 20 years!
Because of your generosity, creativity, and unwavering support, we reached our Create-A-Thon fundraising goal of $8,500! Every donation, every shared post, every handmade item, and every word of encouragement helped make this success possible. On behalf of everyone at Knitting4Peace and the thousands of people who will receive comfort because of your kindness, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
The excitement doesn't stop there! As we continue counting and sorting donations, we've already received nearly 2,000 handmade items toward our goal of 3,000 items. That means hats, scarves, blankets, socks, shawls, and other lovingly crafted gifts are already on their way to bringing warmth, hope, and peace to people around the world. If you're still creating, keep those needles, hooks, and sewing machines busy—we'd love to reach that 3,000-item milestone together!
Looking for a fun way to stay connected with fellow makers? Join our Knitting4Peace Community Craft Circle on the second Tuesday of every month at 4:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). Whether you knit, crochet, sew, quilt, spin, weave, or simply enjoy crafting, everyone is welcome. It's a wonderful opportunity to make new friends, share projects, ask questions, and spend an hour creating together in a supportive community. To join us use the Zoom link below.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87399084519?pwd=szY0CboLCjBupYBx5kI82QA8o4Meiq.1 Thank you for making our 20th anniversary year so memorable. Together, we are proving once again that handmade acts of kindness truly can change the world, one stitch at a time. -Kelly & the K4P team |
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| 20 Years, One Square at a Time
Help us celebrate 20 years of bringing comfort and peace by contributing a 10" × 10" knitted or crocheted baby blanket square! Using washable worsted yarn in blues, yellows, greens, pinks, or mauve (our 2026 Create-A-Thon colors), create your favorite non-lacy pattern, then block your square and weave in the ends. Send your square(s) to Knitting4Peace by September 30—we'll stitch them together into beautiful baby blankets that reflect the love of our entire community. Every square tells a story, and we'd love for yours to be part of this special anniversary project!
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Dr. Julie Kelly, who was featured in our CAT Delivery Panel, is in Tanzania delivering your beautiful items! She sent a photo to update you all! |
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Community Member of the Month:
The Gathering Place, Denver |
The Gathering Place, a Denver-based day shelter for women, gender diverse people, and their children is a long-time Knitting4Peace Community Partner and they are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. We recently spoke with Taylor Johnson, Community Engagement Manager, to hear about the many things that The Gathering Place is doing to serve individuals and families.
The Gathering Place began in 1986 when two University of Denver Social Work students identified a need for safe daytime spaces for women who were unhoused. Although the women were able to sleep in shelters at night, there was nowhere for them to safely be during the day. The program started small but has now expanded and currently serves over 200 individuals every day in a 3-story building that includes a rooftop garden and playground. Programs and services have grown based on needs identified by clients and include hot breakfast and lunches, laundry and shower facilities, a computer room, access to laundry and shower facilities, hygiene items, a boutique-style clothing bank, and mail services. The Gathering Place is now able to support people throughout the whole housing process, providing transitional case management, resource navigation, mental health services, and a host of associated programs, all designed to support the goal of creating stability for their clients. Just last year, over 100 families were able to transition into stable housing.
The partnership between The Gathering Place and Knitting4Peace began many years ago after K4P staff reached out and offered a presentation. Taylor says that her organization was impressed with the high-quality items offered by Knitting4Peace and the way in which resources were offered with dignity and respect. It seemed that the missions of both organizations were in alignment and our partnership was formed.
Taylor emphasized the important value of the beautiful, handmade items they receive from Knitting4Peace and shared that The Gathering Place offers clients the opportunity to choose specific colors and patterns from their deliveries. She says that clients especially love “the hats! They love the creativity of the hats!”, adding that “it feels so dignified as the items they receive from Knitting4Peace become theirs and theirs alone. It helps the individuals feel cared for, knowing that others are spending time making special items for them.”
Through the years, Knitting4Peace’s own Joan R, one of our Intake Volunteers and a former K4P Board member, has played a significant role in continuing the connection between The Gathering Place and Knitting4Peace. Joan is enthusiastic about this partnership and regularly reaches out to Taylor at The Gathering Place. She helps to identify what is needed and then makes deliveries. Joan notes the many similarities between the two organizations stating that “both are putting hope over despair, kindness over cruelty, offering help not blame, and acceptance over judgment”. In addition, Joan emphasizes the importance of “meeting people where they are.” She adds “Our makers know the value of just sending in something anonymously, knowing it will go out in the world somewhere, offering an important human touch to others.”
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The Gathering Place’s most current needs from Knitting4Peace include hats, scarves, mittens, baby blankets, booties, and Peace Pals, especially those with darker skinned tones. We are grateful for our partnership with The Gathering Place and congratulate them on their 40th anniversary! For more information on this amazing organization, please check out the The Gathering Place website.
We’ll leave you with the heartfelt words of Heather Beck, CEO of The Gathering Place, who sums up the breadth of their mission: “When we support the most vulnerable and create truly inclusive spaces we don’t just impact individual lives, we strengthen our entire community.” |
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Cold Weather Items & Pals |
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Items Needed: Cold weather items for schoolchildren Although it’s still summer, we are already gearing up to be able to meet requests to deliver much needed handmade items to keep schoolchildren warm as they travel to and from school. We continue to need the following to take to local schools:
Hats that are 19”-20” in circumference are the #1 most requested item for elementary schoolchildren. Children’s hats are distributed to so many organizations, both locally and abroad.
Our need for mittens is never-ending. We would love for each child to have a pair and we regularly hear from schools that these are so treasured by the children who receive them that they are never seen in the “lost and found” sections at schools. We simply never have enough so please keep sending them in! Many schools also request scarves that are a minimum of 4”- 6” wide and 45”-55” long.
Peace pals are not a typical cold weather item but we’re including them here as they are frequently requested by schools and we can always use more! |
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Consistency Matters: Hats
Hats of all sizes are one of our most requested items! Because of your generosity, we are often able to fully meet the requests we receive for them. To ensure that the hats you send will quickly find a home, please note the following guidelines:
-All hats must be washable, and a MINIMUM of 13” in circumference or larger.
-Infant hats should be 13” to 18” circumference. For babies, we welcome lighter weight hats using soft yarns in a variety of colors.
-Toddler hats are typically 18”-19” circumference and both light weight and heavier weight hats are requested by many organizations.
-For children ages 3-10, the circumference should be 19” to 20”. -Warm hats in bright colors are preferred. -It’s especially important that teen and adult hats are WARM. They should be 21” to 23” circumference. Please don’t send in hats larger than 23” in circumference as we rarely receive requests for extra-large hats.
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Although there is some variation in sizing charts, here is a detailed chart that you might find useful: https://blog.lionbrand.com/hat-size-guide/ If you are using a loom or a knitting machine, it’s especially important that you make sure that your hats meet the size requirements. Unfortunately, we are unable to distribute those that do not meet circumference requirements.
We currently have plenty of preemie hats so do not need any hats smaller than 13” circumference at this time.
We can never have too many hats so please keep sending them in! Our partner organizations frequently tell us how much a warm hat means to those who receive them. |
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HAVE A QUESTION ON HOW TO MAKE SOMETHING? ASK ARNA! |
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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. |
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| 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! |
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Special thanks to Park Hill Congregational Church for their continued support and allowing us to share their space in Denver. |
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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.
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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.
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| Are you ready to support the mission of Knitting4Peace?
Donate using the button below! |
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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. |
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