Back From Italy.....Donations to Process

Such a pretty, peaceful Monet.  Thought you all might enjoy it.  Reminds me of some of the pretty scenes I saw recently while on a tour in Italy.  Just got back in the country last night and am playing catch up.  

Took about an hour today to open and sort all the mail that was held during my time away.  Got several boxes of donations, which I'm hoping to get processed in the next couple of days.  Many thanks to Joy D and K. Netzley for your donations that arrived sometime while I was away.

Please check back in folks.

**The counts on our progress bars are current. All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Donations for Homeless

The picture above pulls at my heart strings, it's sad.  Sleeping on a cold sidewalk (just as the previous post) in the middle of busy community while others go about their normal business.  Unlike the previous post and picture, this gentleman doesn't have the luxury of a tent.  Also looks like he has very merger belongings.  Our donations, like a warm knitted or crocheted or loomed hat can make him or others like him more comfortable.  Keep him warmer, and in fact can be the difference in staying alive on a cold night.

Yes, the situation is sad, and rather bleak; but you all who donate do make an important difference in giving people hope, as well as keeping them warmer...and more safe.

Our donations of hats, scarves, mittens, slippers, personal care items, cotton washcloths, and afghans tell people we care about them.  Our donations are all direct donations.  By that I mean, we here at Bridge and Beyond are a grass roots charity, they is no paid staff.  Your donations all go to those in need.  Some of your donations go from you to me to Rae.  Rae is dear lady who prepares hot meals on Saturdays mornings to feed those living out in the elements (under the bridges and beyond).  Your donations go to men, women, and children in shelters; as well as those families who transition from shelter living to a permanent housing situation.

Your donations are gifts!  Think of the Birthday or Christmas Gifts you've given over the years.  You give of yourself be it in time to shop for something special, or time to craft something special.  When you make a donation to Bridge and Beyond or a homeless group in your community, you are doing the same thing.  Giving something special to someone special.  Our donations aren't gift wrapped with a big red bow, but I venture to say they are equally as precious, if not more so.

Each item we knit, crochet, or loom has it's own tab across the top of the blog with necessary information about size, colors, and fibers to ensure our donations do indeed meet the needs of those we serve.  If you have questions not addressed, or wonder why there's a specific requirement for color, size or fiber.........please feel free to contact me either by email or the contact form in the right side bar.

**The counts on our progress bars are current, the percentages not quite. I'll not be figure the percentages with each update of numbers, but will be updating again next at least by the 20th. I have in fact made a reminder not on my cell phone for the 20th of each month to do percentages. If we're at a milestone, or I just have extra time I may do it more often...but certainly at that scheduled time

.** All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Working for the Homeless

As most of you know, I've been out of town.  Hubby and I managed to escape the last 2 snow storms by getting out of dodge...heading to a warmer part of the country, South Carolina.  While it's not bathing suit weather, and I came back just as un-tanned as before....it is a nice break from ice, freezing rain, and snow.  It's a nice break from having to scrape the car windows.  Our homeless friends don't get that break though, they are truly stuck.  As I sip hot coffee, wearing a fleece indoors and wait for the house to warm up from the night time setting of 55; I considered myself blessed and lucky.  I have a roof over my head, warm clothes, and I was able to take a breather...the weather is tiring...even with a roof over your head.  Imagine how both physically and mentally our homeless around the country feel.

Thank you for this welcome home present.  These boxes represent knitted and crocheted kindness from many pairs of helping hands.  You who spend your time, talent, money, and energy caring for others...people you will never meet face to face are truly a special kind of person.  I value you all so very much.  In the days to follow you'll see the beautiful and thoughtful donations from: RoseMarie from Tennessee, Barbara F from New York, SSeger from Michigan, Dorothy M from Virginia, Cheryl B from Ohio, Susan Alcover from Florida, and Sara G from Pennsylvania.

Please keep your hands and yarn busy folks, it's only 20 here today with colder temps in the horizon, and possibly more snow in the next 2-3 days.

Spent almost the entire day yesterday opening, photographing, and counting the donations.  Sent out email and Facebook thanks and notifications.  Today will be spent writing and scheduling blog posts, and making a delivery to Homeless Families Foundation.  Took me 4 or 5 trips to get all the bags in the car........it is really loaded.  The trunk is full and part of the backseat folks!  An awesome and much needed donation thanks to you all.

Keep up the good work.

I'm currently working on 2 afghans, one knitted and one crocheted.  What are you all working on for Bridge and Beyond?

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Yarn Stash of Many Colors Helps Homeless

 Pick a color...go ahead give it a try.  See if in this picture

 Or this picture

Or...........maybe this picture you can find darn near ever possible color of yarn.  Think how much this donation of yarn will help the many people we serve.  What a generous generous donation.  It occurred to me when the "drop" took place people might have wondered what in the world was going on.  lol

Dianne O, fellow Ohioan contacted me indicating her mother has quite a stash of yarn, could no longer crochet...could I use it?  Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity.  Picture this though, Dianne lives in one area of town and works fairly far the other direction and I'm located...sorta in the middle.  We arrange to meet in a parking lot right off the freeway on a Friday evening.  I didn't want her to have to fight traffic getting back on the freeway so, on a stormy Friday evening traffic night...we rendezvous in an otherwise empty parking lot.  Being Friday, the start to everyone's wkend, no doubt they had all booked!  We quickly start piling the bags and containers that had been in her car in my car. And in short order, we both sped away in opposite directions.  

These 3 pictures is NOT the entire generous donation.  Dianne's mother, Mary K kept her yarn in really good shape and I already have many plans as to how it will be used.  Sadly, Mary's not able to continue her hobby of crocheting, something she really enjoyed; but we will make wonderful use of generosity in donating this fabulous yarn stash.   

I mentioned sometime back I'm currently breaking up pictures (to aid in having daily posts, and to have more close up's so the donation can be seen better by you all), so stay tuned and see the rest of Mary and Dianne's donation as time goes by.

I know in the not to distant future, I'll be working on a pink afghan from squares that are at the ready and I see some pink yarn that I think will be perfect for the projects completion.

Many thanks Mary K, and Dianne O for this awesome donation.

**Folks, I'm still trying to contact a Carol C who sent a donation, I can't find an email addy.  The return address on the box is a military type address, so I don't know where it came from, if Carol C is out there..........please make contact with me here on the blog in the way of a comment, or through the contact form in the right sidebar.**

2014 DONATIONS:
Hats: 619
Scarves: 331
Socks: 141
Afghans: 16
Slippers: 77
Rain Ponchos: 61
Mittens & Gloves: 68
Wrist Warmers: 1 
Cotton Washcloths: 247
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts, and Shrugs etc. 13
Neck warmers, cowls, gators,  and other misc items aren't tabulated; as well as personal care item

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Donations Needed to Help those in Need

This is incredible!  This is art, this is crochet, this is a playground.  Saved this picture awhile back from Facebook and just re-found it in my files to share with you all.  Can't imagine how long it takes to do this, or how she makes it strong enough that kids can and do play on it.  The artist is Toshiko Horiuchi-MacAdam, a Japanese artist.

Just thought you all would enjoy this.

Here we are in a new month already, where does time go?  Looking back to this time last year, Oct 3rd's post from 2013 here are our donations:

Hats 645 (currently 609, -36
Scarves 402 (currently 331, -71
Socks 251 (currently 141, -110
Afghans 44 (currently 16, -28
Slippers 189 (currently 77, -112
Rain Poncho's 208 (currrently 61, -147
Mittens 98 (currently 68, -30
Cotton Washcloths 651 (currently 247, -404

Our donations have gone down in every area.  This happens with all charities. People find something else to support, money get tights and it becomes harder to buy the yarn and or mail the donation.  I can't help with the mail but, can help with some yarn donations to those in need of yarn to support the cause.  Leave a comment here,or  use the contact form in the right sidebar to let me know you need some yarn.

I am hopeful things will pick up, know even if our numbers our down I do value each of you and your thoughtfulness.  

When you can't knit or crochet, you can still help.  Visit the blog, leave comments, tell your friends, share the links, save samples when you travel and donate personal care items.

Thank you for your support folks, let's do our best and hope our numbers increase a bit so we can care for more folks in need.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Time to Gear up with Donations, Homeless in Need

A pretty Lilly from my back yard.  Though they are almost done blooming now.  I love the color and thought I'd share to thank you all for your on going support with donations, with visits and comments to the blog.  I also want to thank those who keep track of me.  Things have been more quiet here on the blog of late.  Things are always more quiet in summer.  People tend to knit and crochet more in cooler weather, more donations mean more blog posts.  In some years, I've posted contests, stories and comics or other things to try and keep a blog post up daily, or close to it.  My time this year has been far less.

I've been traveling more then normal (presumably leading up to retirement), and flip side of that is I've been working more.........ALOT more which limits my time to search for things to post about.  In addition, I've carved out several hours daily to exercise/walk/.  Due to increased swelling and pain in my knees, (mostly right from good olde arthritis.......turning up my nose to good olde), and a high cholesterol level.  My doctor told me I needed to become more active, as the cholesterol was way to high.  So, stretching, warming up, walking, cooling off, stretching...takes 2-3 hours a day.  I've happily reduced my cholesterol to where I don't need to go on meds, knees are much happier too.  The hard part of it is, I'm out moving away from my computer which makes the posting/sitting etc a bit of a challenge

I'm pretty excited to have a few days off (hope that doesn't change, as my schedule often does several times a week) giving me the time I need to keep caught up here with you all.  I appreciate so much those personal emails asking where I am and how I am.  The folks in this group truly ROCK!

I think we're on the edge of the season where donations will start picking up again...a plus and a minus situation.  Having more donations is always good, but that means the weather is turning cooler making things more difficult for those we support.

Thank you all for your on going support with your hooks and needles.  You all truly make an important impact on the quality of many peoples lives.  Bless you all.

Stay tuned for donations from Gail B, Annemarie, and Rosemarie

2014 DONATIONS:
Hats: 498
Scarves: 280
Socks: 75
Afghans: 15
Slippers: 69
Rain Ponchos: 55
Mittens & Gloves: 63
Cotton Washcloths: 189
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts, and Shrugs etc. 11
Neck warmers, cowls, gators, wrists warmers/fingerless gloves and other misc items aren't tabulated; as well as personal care item

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Caring for Homeless

I've been away, traveling outside the country and am in need of catching up.  I want to thank those who visit daily, checking to see if there's a new post; that is appreciated.  I want to thank Linda J from Texas, Janis F from LA, Kathy Banasik from MI, RoseMarie from TN, Sandra R from FL and Laura J from Ohio for your recent donations.  Hopefully boxes will be opened in a day or two, photo's taken and blog posts written.

In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy reading this article...it certainly touches on our mission of caring for the  homeless and given this special time of year, seems an appropriate post.  Please click here to read the article.

The news reporting of the story is here

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Reflecting on our Donations.

Things have been quiet here for some time on Bridge and Beyond. I've not had boxes to open, pictures to post or donations to tell you about.  This has me a bit concerned that folks aren't knitting or crocheting as much.....that they're not donating as much, or as often.  It's been a good long while since I've been able to make a daily blog post to help our SEO ratings etc.


Soooo, I decided to once again compare where we are to where we were.  I'm pleased and quite surprised that despite feeling like donations are down...because posts and comments are way down, our donations are actually in pretty good shape.  Take a look for yourselves.

The numbers reflect where we are based on the previous post and where we were at this time last year.  We're only behind with 2 items...mittens I'm sad to report we are way way off our mark of last year and rain poncho's though technically we are, it's not really noticeable.

This leads me to conclude that people mail less often, putting more in each box.......logical way to save on postage costs.

Thank you all for your continued hard work.

Item	This Year	Last Year	Plus/Minus
Hats	645	632	+13
Scarves	402	347	+55
Socks	251	169	+82
Afghans	44	32	+12
Slippers	189	138	+51
Rain Ponchos	208	209	-1
Mittens	98	274	-176
Cotton Cloths	651	404	+247

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Not Always Warm and Comfortable for Homeless, even in the Spring

This photo was taken the other day out from my back deck.  It was pretty foggy, cool, damp.  The fog created school delays due to poor visibility for kids, and school bus drivers.  Depending on where you were in city it was heavier then here, and less in a few areas.  However...as you can see it was quite cool and damp.  Think of sleeping out in the elements on such a cool damp night.  So, even though it's spring and generally reasonably comfortable during the day, this is one reason we knit, crochet, collect, and donate all year long.

The need for folks outside doesn't really go away.  Collecting all year long gives us the ability to stock all the shelters to help them be ready for changing weather.

So please folks, don't retire your hooks and needles.   Please keep them busy.


**Please remember folks to tag ALL hats with size, rather then my trying to guess and or the volunteers at the various shelters trying to guess.  Please also remember to wash and block all afghans before mailing.  It removes hair, odors, oil and dust......and it makes the ghan so much more finished.  I always suggest not drying ghans in the dryer...though I know most yarn says it can be done.  They get fuzzy, and you can't block them in the dryer.  Please lay them out in a pet free area, you almost always need to help shape it, thus the blocking.


2013 Donations:

Hats:  361
Scarves: 276
Socks: 182
Afghans: 20
Slippers: 132
Rain Ponchos: 202
Mittens: 22
Cotton Wash Clothes: 298
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's: 10
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, handwarmers, cowls/gators and all meal prep related items, etc aren't tabulated

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

The Face of Homelessness, Please Donate

Please turn your sound on. Share this with someone you know, share the knowledge about homelessness. I've got information forthcoming on this group of homeless families that I believe we'll be able to help. This video, is insightful. Even if, after obtaining information we're not able to help this particular group; I believe their video is relevant.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

Smiles and Appreciation from under the Bridge.

Wanted to tell you all a bit about last Saturdays delivery to our folks under the bridge. It was cold, we were having freezing rain when Rae took the donations. There were lots of happy people with smiles on their faces as they put on hats, and scarfs to ward off the elements. Buckeye Fans among them, the men were excited about getting the Scarlet and Grey items!

Rae's been trying to obtain some tarps, and ropes from hardware stores (hoping for some donations where possible), so they could make a shelter of sorts from the rain, and wind etc. A few are lucky enough to have a tent. I'll be checking back with her to see if she was able to obtain any tents, or tarps and let you know.

Some of our earlier items were packed in donated/used packbacks along with some personal care items like toothbrushes, soap, towels and the like and given to them just prior to Christmas. You all helped in making them know people do care.

Hugs to all, and now...I hear yarn calling my name.