Vision: We envision a world where every person has access to warm clothing and items of comfort and dignity.
Mission: Knitting4Peace connects service-minded makers who create and deliver handcrafted necessities to families and communities in need, at home and abroad.
Who We Are: We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Denver, CO. We are comprised of thousands of knitters, crocheters, and supporters. We live in communities across the United States and Canada.
~K4P Newsletter Highlights~
- End of Year Giving and Colorado Gives Day
- Community Member of the Month
- Series: Consistency is Key: Scarves
-Most Needed Items: Mittens, Scarves, and Peace Pals with Hijabs
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” ~Steve Jobs
A (very long) Note from the ED
It's hard to believe we are already thinking about the end of the year. In the nonprofit world, the 4th quarter is all about fundraising and that is no different at K4P. Many of you may receive our annual fundraiser letter through the mail, but it occurred to me that many of you may not, so I am including it in this newsletter. However, our annual letter is not the only major fundraiser happening. On November 1st, Early Giving for Colorado Gives Day opens and donations close on December 5th. We have a goal of raising $15,000 on Colorado Gives Day and each donation helps us receive incentives and matching funds from the Colorado Gives Foundation. You do not have to be a Coloradan to take part in this month-long event...you just have to LOVE K4P! To donate click the button below!
The donations raised through our annual fundraiser letter and Colorado Gives Day provide nearly HALF(!) of the revenue we need to get through the following year. End of the year giving is truly that important.
As a community, we have made a world of difference this year! We have delivered nearly 9,000 handmade items to 21 countries and the cold weather hasn’t even arrived yet!
We at Knitting4Peace envision a world where every person has access to warm clothing and items of comfort and dignity. In order to make this vision a reality, we need your financial assistance.
Please consider supporting Knitting4Peace during this Giving Season so we can continue to provide love and comfort to those who need it most. We are needed now more than ever before.
With gratitude-
Kelly
To support Knitting4Peace with an end of the year gift or to help us reach our Colorado Gives Day goal, please donate using the button below. You can also mail a check to Knitting4Peace, 2600 Leyden Street, Denver, CO 80207
Community Member of the Month
The Mountain View Peace Pod
Left front row: Holly C., Jean B., Linda R., Debbie M.. Standing: Lois M., Caryn H., Bernie M., Sandy G. Not pictured: Donna P., Mary T., Marcia H., Megan G.
The Mountain View Peace Pod members (aka our personal heroes!) have been meeting together at Mountain View Church in Aurora, CO since 2018 after their beginning as an offshoot of another long-standing Peace Pod from New Dawn church. They persistently met throughout the pandemic via Zoom and socially distanced in individual member’s backyards. They now meet weekly, both indoors and outside when weather permits.
These vibrant women are involved in many groups and activities far beyond their K4P activities. They work closely with various missions at Mountain View Church and with other groups across the metro area. A current project is working with a new Habitat for Humanity development to ensure that each of the 24 townhomes has a special afghan waiting for families who move in.
Mountain View makes a special effort to welcome new members by sharing their skills, yarn, supplies, and patterns with each other. Part of their success is due to setting a consistent meeting time. Regularly sharing what they have made is one way they inspire others and exchange new ideas. They have also found it’s important to have a table available during meetings for snacks, supplies, and yarn.
In addition to their frequent, generous donations of a wide variety of items, we are particularly grateful that the Mountain View Pod has been willing to serve as “repair angels” when there are items that need some special loving care before being sent out into the community. Thank you, Mountain View members, for being such a special part of our K4P network of makers!
💕
Consistency is Key
Guidelines for Scarves
Scarves are such a wonderful way to help children and adults stay warm during cold weather! Here are some things to remember when making scarves:
We need WARM scarves in a variety of colors. Typically, scarves should be a minimum of 5” - 8” in width and a minimum of 45”-60” in length.
We are not currently receiving requests for fashion scarves, or those that are lightweight or lacy, so please don’t send those in at this time. We will make sure to find good homes for those that we’ve already received!
3. It’s fine to send in sets that include hats/scarves or hats/scarves/mittens.
4. Please remember to sew in your yarn ends and to avoid pet hair, smoke, or perfumes when creating. Unfortunately, we do not have facilities to wash items before we distribute them.
Thank you!
~Jo
Item Requests:
Mittens, Scarves, and Peace Pals with Hijabs
Mittens and Scarves: With the cold weather quickly approaching, we continue to have a strong need for warm items. At this time, we are in desperate need of more mittens and scarves. We currently cannot meet the requests we’ve received already and it hasn’t even snowed yet! YIKES! We are grateful for each item you send in and are thankful that we have enough hats at this time. That will go far in meeting the need but we’d like to also provide scarves and mittens for those who request them. We need both youth and adult sizes as we are seeing an increase in requests from schools and from groups that serve those new to this country.
Peace Pals with Hijabs: We have a special request this month for Peace Pals with Hijabs. As you know, our supply of Peace Pals has been low since so many folks requested them to deliver on their summer travels abroad. We now are getting requests from schools, not only for Peace Pals, but for those with hijabs. We have not been able to fulfill our recent requests for hijabs but have many local knitters who are furiously working to meet the demand. Thanks so much to those who have stepped up! It’s helpful when the hijabs are made to specifically match the Pals in colors and size (see photo above) but we will also accept hijabs separately and find Pals to wear them. See the patterns on the website: https://knitting4peace.org/assets/collections/patterns/hijab-for-peace-pal.10.21.pdf We continue to need Peace Pals with tan, medium brown, and dark brown faces, though our greatest need right now is for Pals with dark brown or tan faces. As always, please make sure your Peace Pals have smiles on their friendly faces, with no “x” eyes or buttons. And finally, your Pals should be no larger than 7" tall. Thank you so much!
Where to Send or Drop Off Your Items
Mail or bring items to: 2600 N. Leyden St., Denver, CO 80207
Drop-Off hours: Monday through Thursday, 9am-2 pm
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.
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.
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.
