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| Monthly Anniversary Celebration!
October- Did you know that World Smile Day happens in October? Let's celebrate by giving our Peace Pals beautiful faces with big smiles! Our YouTube page has a helpful video that shows you how to do just that. Peace Pals are more than toys; they are companions in coping with stress, and building children's self-esteem. We love to see their friendly smiles!
Refer to our patterns page for size requirements. |
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Hi, friends- There are some moments when I am reminded just how special the fiber arts community really is, and the Wild & Wooly Yarn Crawl was one of those moments. To every shop that participated, donated, promoted the crawl, and welcomed knitters and crocheters through your doors: thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your generosity means more to Knitting4Peace than I can possibly put into words.
Every donation you made becomes part of something much bigger. It helps us put a warm hat on a child heading into winter, wrap a soft blanket around someone who needs comfort, or place a handmade pair of mittens into the hands of someone who may be facing a difficult season of life. And while the items themselves are beautiful and practical, what they really carry is a message: you matter, you are cared for, and you are not alone.
That is the magic of what you helped make possible. Your shops are places where people come together over yarn, creativity, and a shared love of making. Through your generosity, that spirit of community reaches far beyond your doors and travels to people who may never know your names, but who will feel your kindness. As we celebrate 20 years of Knitting4Peace, I am especially grateful for partnerships like these. Twenty years of comfort and compassion has never been something we have done alone. It has been built stitch by stitch, donation by donation, and person by person by people who believe that a simple handmade gift can make a profound difference.
Thank you for being part of that story. Thank you for believing in the work we do. And thank you for helping us bring a little more warmth, comfort, and compassion into the world. With deep gratitude, Kelly & the K4P Community |
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Community Craft Circle Announcement:
Thank you so much to Kim for starting and hosting the Community Craft Circle over the past year! Beginning in October, our new host will be none other than our very own magical human, Jo! Please consider signing up to welcome her as the new host! SIGN UP HERE
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Community Members of the Month: Spotlight on Local Deliveries |
Every month, we receive hundreds of beautiful, handmade items from our very generous Knitting4Peace makers from across the country. Many also choose to donate items locally and tell us about their donations by entering information on the Knitting4Peace Local Donation form or via notes or emails.
We took some time this month to catch up with some of the Knitting4Peace makers who deliver items to organizations in their local communities. They enthusiastically shared a wealth of information with us about how and why they do this. We are excited to pass along this information to you and hope you find it helpful.
Why deliver locally? As much as we love to receive and distribute all the wonderful items our makers send us on a regular basis, we sometimes feel a bit greedy knowing that there is no shortage of need throughout our country. We asked several of our makers/Peace Pods to share why they choose to deliver items locally and here’s what they told us: They like having a local connection and it is gratifying to interact with those they support in their own communities. The impact of their donations is more direct and immediate.
It saves on postage! Some say they would rather donate the funds they might have used on postage directly to Knitting4Peace.
You can often donate more unusual items that Knitting4Peace does not take. For instance, Beverley G-S. says she donates knitted dishcloths to a food pantry and “cat mats” to the local ASPCA. The Knitting in the Spirit Peace Pod donates “Knitted Knockers” to patients with breast cancer.
How do Knitting4Peace makers identify organizations in need? Our K4P makers are quite creative in identifying organizations in need of donations and personal contacts are often their first source of information. One of our K4P makers shared that she connected with a cancer center where she, her daughter, and grandson have all received medical care. She learned that they needed lap blankets and a K4P partnership was formed. Other ideas include:
- Churches and synagogues as they often are already reaching out to groups in need and may have suggestions
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Talking with neighbors and chatting on social media (Next Door, Facebook)
- Schools, especially elementary schools, preschools, and Head Start programs
- Nursing homes and hospice centers
- Hospitals, particularly those with NICUs and those that serve low-income individuals
- Groups that do outreach to families welcoming new babies
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Organizations that serve families impacted by domestic violence
- Shelters serving unhoused individuals and families
- Food banks
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Organizations that focus on resettlement or refugees
- County social service agencies or extension offices
- YMCAs
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| Tips for connecting with local organizations: Mary Ellen G. (former ED of Knitting4Peace who now works with a Peace Pod in rural Colorado) reminds us that the first priority is to be of service to others by providing only specifically requested items. Remember to check on details such as the sizes and quantities needed, as well as best times of the month/year for deliveries. Jill M. says it is so important that the organization or cause is one that you and/or members of your Peace Pod are passionate about. This helps to give purpose to your work.
Think outside the box! Mary Sue I. donates Peace Pals to the PDI Surgery Center, which provides dental surgery care to young children from families with low incomes. Linda T. and the Stitch and Chat Peace Pod have established a partnership with the National Ukrainian Women’s Association. Jaye H., who leads the Faith UCC Peace Pod, says she can’t stress enough how easy it actually is to find willing partners who are in need of support.
Many of the Knitting4Peace makers encourage others to “go for long-term relationships”, stating that it is often best to work with just one or two groups instead of spreading yourself too thin.
Importance of maintaining a connection with Knitting4Peace: Makers repeatedly told us how important the connection with Knitting4Peace is to them, even when they are donating locally. Most mentioned that the mission of K4P is what drew them to the organization and that they believe in our strong message of creating peace through service and community. Others shared that they like being connected to a national organization with hundreds of other makers and Peace Pods (Barbara G. calls it being “connected to the mothership”!). Jaye told us that it gives legitimacy to their donation efforts when they say they are working with Knitting4Peace and that Peace Pod members really like the patterns available on the K4P website. In addition, most K4P makers noted that they appreciate Knitting4Peace’s ability to deliver items internationally.
Do you donate locally? We’d really like to continue this conversation and hear about your local donations as we continually learn so much from you. When you donate locally, we’d love it if you would take a few minutes to share your information with us via the K4P Local Donation form or via email. We do track all donated items you tell us about, along with all donations received at Knitting4Peace headquarters. Let us know if you’re interested in chatting about this further and we can set up a group Zoom call to share experiences and troubleshoot any challenges you’re running into.
As always, thank you for all each of you do and for your many donations, whether you send them in to us in Denver or share them locally. Special thanks to the many Knitting4Peace makers who contributed to this story: Mary Ellen G, Jill M., Barbara G., Jaye H., Ellen G., Claire W., Beverley G-S., Margaret E., Linda T., Janet S. and Mary Sue I. We are grateful to you all! |
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Hats, Mittens, & Finger Puppets |
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Items Most Needed: Finger puppets, Hats, and Mittens
Finger puppets continue to be a very popular item and we rarely have enough to fill all the requests we receive. We can use animal, people, and even insect finger puppets. We’ve even seen flowers and rainbows and hear these are well-received as parents and children can make up stories about them! Please make sure that all finger puppets fit securely on an adult or older child’s index finger and have no small decorations that might become a choking hazard for an infant.
Colder weather will soon be here and we are receiving frequent requests for items to keep both adults and children warm. As always, we desperately need mittens for both children and adults as we are typically unable to even come close to filling all the requests we receive. We also are running quite low on hats and scarves for adults. Many of us take the availability of these items for granted. However, we repeatedly hear from our K4P Partner organizations that each item we share is highly treasured by those who have so little. The individuals who receive your items are especially appreciative that someone, somewhere cared enough to lovingly make a special item by hand.
Thank you for all you do to help meet the needs of others and let them know that they, too, are treasured and loved! |
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Consistency is Key: Please review the Knitting4Peace Guidelines!
If you haven’t reviewed our Knitting4Peace guidelines lately, please take a few minutes to do so now. Our Knitting4Peace Community Partners typically are small non-profits, schools, or hospitals who are running on shoestring budgets. They often rely on a small staff and/or volunteers to distribute all the beautifully made items they receive from Knitting4Peace. They, like K4P, typically have very limited storage space. It makes it so much easier for our Community Partners when K4P responds to their requests for specific items in standard sizes (hats, scarves, mittens, blankets, Peace Pals, finger puppets) so they then can distribute them quickly to those who are most in need. It can be extremely challenging to sort, store, and distribute unusual items, like toys, bags, sweaters, or fashion scarves, no matter how wonderful those items might be.
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We ask that you kindly review and follow our guidelines before sending us your items. It’s important that you check in with us before sending in any items that are not listed on our K4P website. If you enjoy making and donating items not listed on our website, we encourage you to check with local organizations, who may be in need of those items.
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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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