How to Make a Difference in Your Community with Crochet

Something that I’ve always been passionate about is being able to make a difference with my craft. After I learned to crochet, one of the first things I started doing was looking up different tutorials on YouTube to see what I could make to put in the Operation Christmas Child boxes. Even though my skills were limited, I felt this calling to do the right thing. I knew that my options were limited in what I could make that would be useful. I would make items such as a doll blanket (or a little square), hats in different sizes, or even cross charms. As a 12-13-year-old, my options were quite limited regarding local charitable spots near me. This worked out well. This was around the first time I started getting serious about donating to charities.

If you are interested in being able to make a difference in your community with your craft, you can! It’s quite simple and I’m sure there are more options out there than what you initially realize. Whether your yarn stash is overflowing and you want to do something good with it, or you just have that urge to help out… There is something for you and I can’t wait to help you find it! I would first recommend doing a quick Google search to see what organizations near you are accepting items. By doing this, this should help give you an idea in regards to what exactly some organizations are looking for near you. What happens if you don’t see anything that sparks your interest? Keep reading. I have some ideas…

Do you have any extra red, white, and blue yarn?

You can see if your local VNA hospice center is accepting donations, if they are they might in search for some handmade red/white/blue themed blankets.

Here are some patterns you might find helpful:

• United States Flag by Loi Tra Carter

  • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/united-states-flag

• Wavy American Flag by Tracy Johnson

  • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wavy-american-flag

• American Stars and Squares by Michael Sellick

  • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/american-stars-and-squares

Do you have any extra yarn? (I assume yes?)

You can check in with your local library, and see if they are accepting bookmark donations—they probably are! You can make little circles, hearts, stars, or even flowers and attach a long chain at the end. Boom! You made a bookmark!

Here are some patterns you might find helpful:

• Small Heart by Amy Lehman

  • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/small-heart-2

• Simple Christmas Star by Clare M

  • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/simple-christmas-star

• Jonas Matthies has a lot of cute bookmarks as well!

What about Operation Christmas Child?

If you are active in your local church around Christmas time, you have most likely heard of Operation Christmas Child. I’m not going to go into the nitty-gritty, but if you would like to read more about them, I will leave their website underneith along with a couple links with some patterns!

Operation Christmas Child Website:

• https://samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/

Loom Knitting Playlist by LoomaHat:

• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnFuMwI3dh8WjrBcCZBDI4XPLPAIHt3uT

Crochet/Knit Hats:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rS168Op99g

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s02-oNb3aww

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQkY-1gB8s4

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YHbDi_pEcc

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Loiu-7xis6o&list=PLvSLgg6OedRSMSMe__QVY9AfeCsjK44ah

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXl9MvGn_vI&index=2&list=PLvSLgg6OedRSMSMe__QVY9AfeCsjK44ah

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTtpl9wSWmI

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szX6slq2Q8Y&t=42s

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PT5rcLqZMo

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_CTGPJEVfU

Preemie Hats, Small Octopi, & Blankets

When donating, have you ever thought about adding your local hospital or NICU to your list? Always make sure to call before you donate to make sure that they are accepting donations. You don’t want to just drop off a bunch of crochet and have them get thrown away because you didn’t call. I don’t know if this is still popular or not, but donating preemie hats used to be really popular. Same with donating octopus amigurumi with long tentacles. The purpose of the octopi is for the babies to pull on the tentacles instead of their cords while in the NICU. You might be able to donate blankets. I’m not actually sure about this one. Each hospital is different and is particular in its requirements. Especially since they are going to sick patients, they need to make sure that they are clean.

Here a couple of patterns which might help you:

• Octopus for Preemie by Gosia of Nomad Home

  • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/octopus-for-a-preemie

• Valerie – Preeimie & New Baby Hats by marianna mel

  • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/valerie---preemie--new-baby-hats

• Unisex Preemie Blankets by Canoe Mtn Designs

  • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/unisex-preemie-blankets

Nursing Homes

You can always call up your local nursing homes and see if they are taking in requests for a homemade blanket for an elder to warm up in.

Here are some patterns that you might find helpful:

• Yasmin Blanket by Clare M

  • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/yasmin-blanket

• The Midwife Blanket by Rebecca Langford

  • https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-midwife-blanket

Charities That (probably) Aren’t Local That Are Also Great to Donate To

Alysha Littlejohn from Little John Yarns did a great job at showcasing some popular crochet charities and where you are able to donate to. Some of these charities include: Warm Up America, Red Scarf Project, The Snuggle Project, Crochet for Cancer, and more.

Here is Alysha’s website! https://littlejohnsyarn.com/where-to-donate-crochet-items/

I hope that this was helpful for you! Thank you for reading and have a great day :)

Emilia <3

Emilia’s Crochet Studio