I haven’t really talked about my charity endeavors that much on Steem yet but it’s a huge part of my life. Today, I wanted to share a project that my friends and I spend most of the Spring and Summer months working on but never quite seem to get enough done on because there are so many people that need help.
Every year, we receive donations of yarn from area charities and chain stores in order to knit homemade scarves for local homeless residents. They are distributed right after the first frost most of the time.
I started knitting hats last year too but don’t have any done right now to show you wonderful people.
The reason behind the project
I was homeless for a while as a teenager and then for a brief period of time right after my divorce while I was finding where I belonged in the world.
When I was a teen, I slept under a bridge or on friends couches when their parents would let me. I felt alone even in rooms filled with other students. The school janitor would let me into the locker room before school in the morning so I could shower and wash my clothes from the day before in the shower.
Sometimes, that sweet soul would let me wash clothes in the laundry room that the school had for team uniforms.
As an adult, I lived in really crappy hotels for months. Each week I would try to scrape together just enough money to pay the rent and try to still leave myself enough money to eat some food from the Dollar Tree.
Both experiences were eye opening and I really feel for people that have to live that life every day with no end in sight. It is demoralizing and can break your spirit if you let it. Thankfully, I was able to find gainful employment to get me back on my feet and restore some of the confidence in myself.
Giving a little bit of hope and showing that someone cares about their wellbeing is why my friends and I knit scarves for homeless.
Projects waiting for new homes
Here’s a photo of the projects that we have finished so far. We currently have about 40 done but I don’t have them all here to show you. Theses are ones that I did myself. Enjoy!
Thanks for reading!
Ivy
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Ivy, my comment comes late as I am only now come across your blog. This is quite a story you told. I was looking for knitting stuff. Great that you bring your craftsmanship to a good cause. I like knitting too. It is relaxing like smoking only less harmful. The rewards are double if you can bring some joy to someone else with your work. I guess your scarfs will be very much appreciated, I guess.