Year End Totals for 2018

Ok folks, Here's our totals for the year with the comparisons I posted last year showing totals from years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.  Additionally, I show what the average of those five years was....that's the number we used for our goals for the year 2018.  As you can see, we fell short in every category.  We came closest with our afghans ...which is shown in red and we got over 50% of our goal for scarves and just under 50% for Mittens (those two shown in blue,) but it may look purple on your monitor.

ITEM	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	Prev Average	Goal %
Hats	1053	971	468	516	371	270	675	40%
Scarves	666	590	196	371	256	224	415	53%
Afghans	55	32	24	36	32	34	35.8	94%
Socks	281	199	201	135	29	67	169	39%
Slippers	153	121	105	91	53	13	104	12%
Cotton Clothes	577	334	454	236	314	168	383	43%
Mittens	300	130	123	108	120	75	156	48%

I reviewed, and found I made 8 afghans for the year 2018.  If I had made just 2 more, we would have made it.  I will endeavor to pick up the pace next year and see how we fair.  I still have a fair number of pieces to put together.  Perhaps if I work on a few more of those vs knitting outright, I can make more headway towards that goal  Time will see.  The knitting bothers my arthritis less, while putting the pieces together is crocheting.  Will try to balance that out a bit.

I have already started the next afghan, a knitted ripple...so it's a start.  I will be re-adjusting averages and making new goals in the coming days so please stay tuned.  

In the meantime, please continue doing what you're doing..........knit, crochet, and loom and care for others.  You're all truly amazing people.

I would like to report our numbers were greater, but I truly understand people have medical issues and can't knit or crochet as much as they used to.  I also understand the cost of postage has increased making it more important to send less, and or donate more locally........which if you're still donating locally still means others are benefiting from your kind heart.

**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.

Good Bye 2017 and Hello 2018

2017 is close coming to an end.  It's been a tough year in many ways, and a good year in others.  I'm sure that's true for many of you reading this blog.  Some of you come and read and post comments, others come and read, but are shy about posting comments.  Some that come also donate, others share our blog and it's mission with friends and co-workers.  It takes many things to be successful as a grass roots charity.

Some of you may know how long Bridge and Beyond has been in existence, others perhaps not.  This blog, Bridge and Beyond and it's mission began in December of 2008.  We started small with donations initially only for men, and due to great growth in a very short period of time added shelters that serve women as well as men.  Not long after that we added children through  several schools in the area, as well as working with Homeless Families Foundation.  We physically deliver to fewer locations now, as we have more consolidation.

Charities go through peaks and valleys.  Prior to my starting Bridge and Beyond, I witnessed this with other charities I supported around the country.  Some came to a screeching halt in short periods of time.  Grass roots longevity takes far more work, I think, than many folks realize.  We are now 9 years old here on Bridge and Beyond.  I consider that a remarkable accomplishment with so many people deserving of our thanks to make it happen.

Below you see our stats for the last 5 years, from 2013 forward.  You can see, a steady down turn in donations since 2013.  I've also taken the time to list the 5 year averages for each item, with the exception of rain poncho's which is a 4 year average; as it wasn't counted separately this past year.  We've maintained pretty well with afghans being donated, this year in part to our friend Marsha M. who donated 22 afghans. Thank you!

I point all this out because I wonder if it's time for some reflection.  Do we still help people?Yes we do, but certainly far fewer.  Would we do better if we focused differently?  I am open to discussion on this.  Are we stretched too thin?  What stands out to me is how much higher the average is on most items vs what we've donated in the last couple of years.  If for example we stopped making and donating cotton washcloths, would we be more successful at collecting and donating hats and scarves?

I thank you all for your support via donations, blog visits, and blog comments; as well as those who share our links in their social media outlets.  I am however, wondering if we've run our course?  I have no immediate plans to delete Bridge and Beyond, I am just trying to think realistically what our future holds.  If you have thoughts you would like to share, please leave comments.  If you're shy about doing that, please use the contact form on the right hand side of the blog to reach me.  If you have my email addy, feel free to make contact that way as well.

Again I think you all, and hope you have a happy and safe New Years.

	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	AVG
HATS	1053	971	468	516	371	675.4
SCARVES	666	590	196	371	256	415.6
SOCKS	281	199	201	135	29	169
AFGHANS	55	32	24	36	32	35.8
SLIPPERS	153	121	105	91	53	104.6
COTTON CLOTHS	577	334	454	236	314	383
MITTENS	300	130	123	108	120	156.2
RAIN PONCHO	213	61	105	211	N/A	147.5

**Rain poncho’s weren’t counted this past year, they were mixed in with misc as there were so few.

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.

Knitted and Crocheted Slippers

Pictured are slipper/socks.  We knit and crochet and donate many different styles of slippers.  Slippers provide extra warmth, and give folks a chance to wash their socks and still have something on their feet.  Many homeless and those living in shelters have few socks so the slippers can truly be a necessity for them.  If they've been outside in the cold and wet during the day and get a bed for the night in a temporary shelter, it gives them the ability to put something dry on their feet while their shoes and or socks dry out.

I didn't find a great deal of information regarding the history of slippers in my google search,  but what I did find was interesting.  It's believed the date back to the times of Sultans and their harems.  Slippers were a symbol of captivity.  One really couldn't run away without proper footwear, and since slippers were typically very light weight with little to protect the foot and or where slippery, they weren't something even a loveable concubine would attempt on cobblestones.  Slippers moved from The East to Medieval Europe and often were a sign of nobility.

Slippers were made initially to be fancy, made of delicate fabric and only became a true shoe replacement in later years.  Nowdays some folks wear slippers indoors instead of shoes, feeling it's cleaner; but there's also a great safety concern that people should not wear slippers instead of shoes as their feet aren't protected from injury and the number of folks who fall because wearing slippers vs shoes caused them to fall has been reported in medical communities.

Our Donated Slipper Counts:
2011......128
2012......153 (+25 more then the previous year
2013......220 (+67 more then the previous year
2014......121 (-32 less then the previous year.

AVERAGE for those 4 years is 155 pairs of slippers which  is  34 more then our most recent total.

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.

Scarves, Neck Warmers, Mufflers and more

 Scarves, no doubt we all have several, to match or go with different coats and or outfits.  Started crocheting this scarf some time back with groups of different stitches and Buckeye Yarn.  Tossed it in the works in progress bin and forgot about it.  Spotted it the other day and thought ...hey I should finish that, but am not liking the look or feel of it.  The yarn is quite coarse..perhaps that's way I laid it aside?  Believe I'll frog it and redo...perhaps knitting it vs crocheting it will be less coarse and give a different/more pleasing look to how the swatches of colors end up.  Then when laundered, it should/hope be soft enough to be comfortable around someone's neck.

Look what else I found in my bin.  These were one skein scarves and as such are a bit smaller then I like.  The blue is workable for someone my size (5'4"), the multi-color is not so needs to be for a child or smaller teen.  Made these while out of town once with yarn I picked up at a local yarn shop for something to do.  Love the blue which is a bit more peacock in color then shows up here in the picture.  Both these scarves are wool and were made for a different purpose.  The multi-color was my first attempt at knitting cables, which I shouldn't have done using variegated yarn.  They need a good soak and blocking before I can decide where they go.  I sorta think I actually made the blue one for myself and forgot about it, lol.

Scarves have historically been called several names, Kremer, neck-wrap, and muffler.  They were originally made for warmth, for cleanliness and for religious reasons.  Dating clear back to ancient Roman times, called a Sudarium, meaning "sweat cloth", they were worn by men for cleanliness.  Literally worn around the head, neck, and or waste and used to wipe away sweat, and were made of wool.  At some point women began wearing them, but theirs were made of cloth, pashmina/silk etc.

According to our friends over on Wikipedia, The Chinese military wore scarves which marked their rank.  In Crotia in the 17th century they were also used by the military with the officers wearing silk and non-officers wearing cotton.  The word cravats meaning croat in French preceded the mens neck tie.

In the 19th century both men and women wore scarves as a fashion statement, and in the 20th century it became an essential clothing item worn again by men and women for warmth and as a accessory to almost any outfit.

The following are our donation numbers of scarves:
2011...................471
2012...................666  (increase of 195
2013...................622 (44 less then preceding year
2014...................590 (76 less then preceding year

Our average those 4 years is 587, so while our numbers were down for the 2nd year in a row, we surpassed the average.........just barely.

Are you currently working on a scarf?

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.