Shelter Living and the Homeless

A-Z challenge = S=Shelters, slippers, socks, scarves, shawls, Star House
No one should have to live like this.

Homeless shelters are temporary residences of desperation for homeless people which seek to protect vulnerable populations from the often devastating effects of homelessness while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community. That's the definition we find in wiki.  

Shelters vary from city to city.  Some shelters are very generic, but in recent years shelters have become, or tried to become a bit more select in whom they give shelter too.  Some shelters are adult men only, some are single women only, some are family only, and some...though not many are for teens only.  There are drop in style shelters where people can pop in for the night and must leave by a certain time in the morning, there are shelters that require certain conditions before letting you in, such as attending a prayer service.  Some provide assistance with direction to appropriate social services.  Some are community based, others tied to churches, and some are government supported.  Regardless of the population and the city, they are not enough shelters to properly serve the growing numbers of those in need.

Some Homeless take their chances on the street due to restrictions, lack of space, unsafe or unclean environments at the shelters.  And sometimes the homeless person has no physical ability to get to the shelter before it's locked down for the night and is forced to spend the night in the elements.  During the cold winter months in the colder states, there simply is not enough space for the need.

There are emergency type shelters for runaways or abused women, separate from a bed for the night; but often those in need are unaware of where these emergency shelters are, or how to get to them.  And many of the drop in facilities aren't for overnights, just perhaps a place to get warm, use the bathroom, maybe get a shower and figure out where to go next.  Drop in facilities for teens are often near college campus areas.  Star House for example here in Columbus, Ohio serves kids age 14-24, but is always over crowded.  It's located at 1621 N. High Street and has affiliation with The Ohio State University.  An old plant on the south side of the city houses young teens with children, but currently only has a 21 bed dorm.  Thus you can see the ability to care for all those in need of shelter is huge.

We hear at Bridge and Beyond, supply Homeless Families Foundation (a family shelter), Faith Mission (an adult Male and Female Shelter area), Holy Family (a soup kitchen for all),  and a handful of school in the affected areas.  Additionally we supply 2 grass roots feed the homeless groups, one of the West side of the city and one on the Northeast side of the city.  These 2 grassroots areas are people living outside in the elements.  We refer to them as The Bridge People.

Can you help?  We donate hand knit and crocheted scarves, shawls, and slippers and store bought socks.  See tabs across the top of the blog for the specifics needed to ensure the donations meet the needs of those we serve.

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.

Thank You, 1500th Blog Post

1500

Blowing up our logo, sorry it makes it a bit blurry folks; but it seems appropriate to celebrate this ....the 1500 blog post from Bridge and Beyond, where we've talked about, shown pictures of, shared patterns of, and discussed the need of Hats, Scarves, and Mittens.......and more.  

Fairy Princess, Beth was one of our earliest pairs of helping hands here on Bridge and Beyond.  She's the one that made our logo.  She and I became acquainted through blogging many years ago and while she no longer participates here on Bridge and Beyond, I've never felt the need to select a new logo.  Thought this served us well these past 5-6 years.

Thank you Beth.

And this beautiful pink Lilly from my back yard is my way of saying thank you to you all, for knitting, for crocheting, for mailing, for delivering your donations to me through the years for Bridge and Beyond.  Loved this Lilly, but sadly so did the squirrels.  They kept digging it up and I kept replanting it.  

Below is a Thank You from Cindy Leonard, the Principal from West Broad Street Elementary School, one of the schools our friend, MaryLynn (LYnn) distributes our goodies too.  This school is very much in the area where our Bridge folk live in the elements, is also near Homeless Families Foundation whom we donate to, as well Holy Family Soup Kitchen .  Wanted to pass along her Thanks to you all whom make this possible.

Dear Ms. Holladay,

We would like to thank you and your organization for the donation of hats, gloves and scarves for our students.  We appreciate your generosity and dedication to helping the less fortunate.  Please continue to keep us in mind in the future.

Sincerely,

Cindy Leonard

West Broad Elem.

When communicating with Cindy I asked a couple of questions in order to tell you a bit more about this school we've donated to.  They have 520 students from Pre k-5th and about 95% of them are on The Free Lunch Program.  95% of one school (494 students), have need.  That's alot of need folks, alot of cold hungry kids.  This isn't the first time we've donated to this school, though the first for this year.  Just know, when you donate....YOU truly do fill a need.

Bless You All

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.

Matching Crocheted Hat and Scarf Donated

Thank you Victoria P for this matching crocheted hat and scarf set!  This will be so appreciated by the person it keeps warm.  Our temps here have been well below average and many people are in need of warm items.  Got another request just yesterday from the Holy Family Soup Kitchen.  We just recently made a delivery there, which they were thrilled to get; but indicated they really are in need of more.

For those new to the blog, or perhaps folks who've not read about Holy Family before.  They feed thousands of people each and every week and pass out our warm items to those waiting for a hot meal.  Sometimes it's men, sometimes it's women, and sometimes it's whole families in need.  Currently, the largest need is for men.

Thank you Victoria, please keep up the good work.

2013 Donations:

Hats: 787+1=788
Scarves: 443+1=444
Socks: 347
Afghans: 51
Slippers: 195
Rain Ponchos: 208
Mittens: 137
Cotton Wash Clothes: 701
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts etc. : 17
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, hand-warmers, cowls/gators/neckwarners and all meal prep related items, Dolls, associated items, stuffed/crocheted/knitted toys... 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.

Homeless Men Need YOU

A little humor for you to enjoy while you're busy knitting or crocheting or buying yarn to knit or crochet.

Hope you enjoy this, I did when I saw it on facebook a couple of weeks back and saved it to my computer.  Thought I'd share this with you while I get caught up posting pictures and writing blog posts from your donations.

We've had 2 requests in the last 10 days for items needed folks.  One from our friend Rae who feeds the homeless living outdoors (mostly men) on Saturday mornings.  She needs hats and scarves and mittens.  A delivery was made to her; but she is in need of more.  Donations suitable for men have been down....so asking everyone to kick it up a notch, please and thanks.  Please remember items should be solid to be warm, dark solid colors best (so not to call attention to themselves and not to show dirt), and large enough to an adult male.

In addition, we've received a request from Holy Family Soup Kitchen.  I'll be able to make a small delivery based on what came in since making the delivery to Rae; but in both cased more is needed.

Items needed:
Hats
Scarves
Mittens

All items listed above are links to those tabs with specifics, as well as patterns that might be helpful to you.  PLEASE measure your scarves folks, small scarves just don't work well for the men.  PLEASE tag ALL hats and mittens with size and pair your mittens with a tie or safety pin.

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.

Joint Organization for Inner-City Needs

Our good friend Lynn has been out and about, again helping with delivery of our needed knitted and crocheted goodies.  As you know, if you've been here on the blog reading previously she delivers to schools in need (Avalon, Highland, West Broad and others), Holy Family, St. Vincents and wherever she knows and finds need.  I sure appreciate her ability to take care of some of these deliveries for me.  She's recently found out about a group called, J.O.I.N.  JOIN=Joint Organization for Inner-City Needs.  They're located in downtown Columbus and serve many in need; often in rather urgent/emergency situations.  They help with food, clothing, lodging, and getting them directed to a shelter and or other organizations that can provide more on going assistance.  If, I understand this situation properly, they can be the first line of operations.

I wanted to share this lovely hand written thank you from Ruth Beckman.  She indicates the donations went to multiple areas of need.  Some again, reaching "beyond" just our city, our county of Franklin; but on into Southern Ohio.  It is through your constant and continued support that we're able to reach so many people in need.

Please know what a difference you all make.

March will focus on afghans and rain poncho's.  In addition to the afghan I assemble (or get help assembling) from your donated squares you can knit and or crochet completed afghans.  You can also make a quilt.  Guideline for colors and size etc can be found in the

  

2013 Donation Totals 
Hats:  131
Scarves: 101
Socks: 70
Afghans: 3
Slippers: 55
Rain Ponchos:2
Mittens: 15
Cotton Wash Clothes: 90
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's: 4
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, handwarmers, cowls/gators 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.

Woot Woot 2012 Awesome End of the Year

Sorry folks had this post in que, or so I thought and it got marked as a draft instead of scheduled to post.  Here are our awesome numbers.  Each and everyone of  you should give yourselves a pat on the back.

Some of you are new to our group and some of you have been with us from the beginning; no matter when you found us and joined in on the important Mission of Helping Homeless, YOU ARE AWESOME.  Together we make a fantastic team.  Some of us knit, some of us loom, some of us crochet, some of us do a bit of all...........what matters is the coming together to help those who are in need.  A single hat or scarf donated can make all the difference in the world to the one person who receives it.

Please keep up the good work, and let's hope we're able to continue to grow.  The more helping hands we have, the more people in need we can reach.  We've been able to reach people in need at free clinics (women and children), people living under bridges (men and women),  people with disabilities who are homeless (women at Nancy's place), families at 3 local family shelters (men, women, and children at Faith Mission, Homeless Families Foundation, and The YWCA), we've helped school age children (Broad Street Elementary, Stiles Elementary, Darby Dale Elm, Highland Elementary, and Teays Valley Middle School), we've donated to men who are receiving a hot meal (Holy Family Soup Kitchen), AND we've been able to extend beyond the boundaries of Franklin County here in Central Ohio.  We've donated items to family shelters through St. Vincent dePaul in Vinton County in Southern Ohio's Appalachia area.

Recently we used donated squares and assembled a comfort afghan (Box of Crayons) for one of the Firemen's Families in Rochester New York.

Yes, we are a team that has reached many and will continue to do so with our collective hearts.

Please stay tuned, I will be announcing some changes as we reach out to reach our goals for the year 2013.

AND Now....drum roll folks here are our final numbers for donations for the year 2012.

Donations: 2012 

Hats 1052  (83 more hats then we donated last year)
Scarves: 666  (195 scarves over what we donated last year)
Slippers: 153 (25 over last year)
Sweaters, Ponchos, Shawls, vests:10
Afghans: 55  (same as last year)
Mittens: 300 (42 more then last year)
Squares: 966 (114 more then last year)
Socks: 281 (52 less pairs then last year)
Rain Poncho's 213 (3 less then last year)
Cotton Washcloths 577 (288 more donated then last year)
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, face-masks, neck warmers, t-shirts, soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes, hand and foot warmers Teddy Bears and footies etc)

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!

THANK YOU

 Enjoy this pretty picture I took in Aruba as you read these sweet Thank You's for all your hard work!

Folks, first I'd like to start out by thanking our good friend, and long time supporter Annemarie from New York.  One night when she had insomnia she took the time to go back through my blog posts here and found some math discrepancies.  She's helped me before by catching posts where I missed adding things and I really appreciate it.  Sometimes I post early in the morning before work, or late at night after work.  Tired eyes sometimes have issues.  She found 5 posts (March 3rd and 11th, May 6th, Aug 21st, and Oct 26th), that needed corrections.  I've made changes on those dates; but rather then edit ever single post from March 3 forward I'll make the adjustments here to our numbers.

Using yesterdays totals I'm showing the adjustments here:

Donations: 2012 

Hats 955+(1 from 8-21)=956  (13 hats from the number we donated last year)
Scarves: 595-1(3-11) +1 (8-21)  (124 scarves over what we donated last year)
Slippers: 144-1=143 (15 over last year)
Sweaters& Ponchos, Shawls, vests:8
Afghans: 42+2=44 (+1 (8-21) +1 (10-26) 11 short of last years
Mittens: 299 (41 more then last year)
Squares: 862 +9 (3-3)= 871 (19 more then last year)
Socks: 196 (137 less then last year)
Rain Poncho's 213 (3 less then last year)
Cotton Washcloths 539 +10 (5-6) -2 (8-21)=547 (256 more donated then last year)
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, face-masks, neck warmers, t-shirts, soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes, hand and foot warmers Teddy Bears and footies etc)

AND I wanted to share some recent Thank You emails.  Lynn, a lady I meant several years ago at a sausage party (some of you will remember that story, but for those that don't here's the post), helps me by distributing to schools, and agencies in need.  She and her husband volunteer at Holy Family Soup Kitchen, and have made many deliveries there.  Here's a copy from their new director, Sharon Wing.

 **this note from Sharon Wing

Dear Sandy,

We here at Holy Family Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry are very grateful for your kind donations.

We are praying for you and ask that you keep us and the Parish of Holy Family in your prayers.

God Bless You

 -------------------------------------------
Lynn also delivered some of our knitted and crocheted donations to several schools in need.  Many schools have children that come without warm clothing to school.  Some of these children are in fact homeless, some are from the various shelters.  I'm happy we're able to reach out and in so many different ways.  Thank you Lynn for helping with these deliveries.  I know I'm not the only one who appreciates you.

 **this note from Dorothy J. Lowery at Highland Elementary School
Sandy~

On behalf of the staff, students and families of Highland Elementary I would like to thank you for your generosity!  We received your delivery of hats, gloves and; scarves. Our students were thrilled as many of them do not have these necessities. They were very excited as they got to choose something for themselves.

We appreciate you thinking of us!

Sincerely,
Dorothy Lowery
---------------------------------
Lynn also delivered some of our donations to her Daughter-in-law, Michelle Schroeck who is a teacher and knows the need first hand.  Here's a nice email from her.

I would like to express my deepest thanks to you. My mother in law gave me a bag of beautiful hats. I am donating them to our school (Teays Valley Middle School West) and our community free store. Your dedication to helping others is heart warming. We really appreciate all of the love and work you and your organization has poured into these gifts of love. 

Thank you 

---------------------------

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!

How to Best Help Ohio's Homeless

There are so many ways to help homeless, both here in Ohio and in your state. You can donate money, you can volunteer hours, you can clean out your wardrobe and pass along gently used items you no longer need to various shelters. You can knit, you can crochet and or loom and donate here to Bridge and Beyond. We here at Bridge and Beyond, provide for Men, Women, and Children in Central Ohio. We donate hand knit and hand crocheted hats, scarves, mittens, slipper, cotton washcloths to those in need.

We donate to 3 family shelters: Homeless Families Foundation, Faith Mission, and The Family Shelter portion of The YWCA. We donate to Holy Family (a large food bank that feeds thousands), we donate to St. Vincent DePaul (in Vinton County, Ohio), we donate to The Bridge People (those truly living outside in the elements), we donate to The Mens Shelter through Faith Mission. We donate all year long, all 12 months of the year.

One of the ways we help is our project Welcome Home, where we provide homemade Afghans to those families that transition from Shelter living to their own home/apt. We provide Afghans to say Congratulations on your new home, we provide Afghans to say Good Luck in your new life. We currently provide these Afghans to those making that transition from The Homeless Families Foundation.

The above Afghan (still in need of a name) is being knit from yarn I had here in my stash, as well as yarn that's been donated by good people like yourselves. This feather and fan stitch afghan is a bit different then the heavier, more solid afghans we've been donating. I'm uncertain about donating this when done, or trying to explore a way to use this afghan to collect funds to donate to Homeless Families Foundation. I don't how realistic this idea is. Have any of you held a raffle to collect funds? If so, was it successful? How did you do it? How much money were you able to collect?

Silent Auction? How would that process work? Ideas? Anxious to hear them.

The afghan is approaching it's half way mark.

Also....love to have suggestions for a name. You know I love to name afghans, but am completely blank thus far on this one.

Sing out.

2012 Donations:
Hats: 451
Scarves: 252
Slippers: 82
Shawls: 2
Sweaters 3
Vest 1
Afghans: 23
Mittens: 252
Squares: 345
Socks: 116
Rain Poncho's 198
Cotton Washcloths 369Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, facemasks, neck warmers, t-shirts, soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes etc).

As the month of June is closing in on us, July's focus has been added to the working calendar. July's focus will be afghans. PLEASE read the requirements in the calendar section, and or the afghan section, and if you have questions, leave a note here or send me an email. I've also added August's focus which will be slippers for those folks who like to work ahead. I should also add you can see all the afghans made from your squares in the afghan section.

**Working Calendar now complete through Dec. 31st 2012**

****Contest, Give Away Announcement and Details on July 1st****

Thanks to Bunny below in the comments, this ghan now has a name. Love the name Sea and Sand.

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!

Happy New Year

WOW, it's been a busy year, hard to believe it's now 2012 and the year 2011 is behind us. We've accomplished alot through out this year folks. We've been featured in Crochet Magazine, we've been linked on a few more blogs, we've reached donation levels sufficient enough to add additional groups to those we help. A very successful year...who's count continues

**There are donations from minnisoda (Liz), Bridget, Yvonne, Barb-Peggy-Janice and Susan from St. Louis pending as I write this scheduled post. Their items have been received and will be counting in the 2011 totals; but as you know there's a new post each day highlighting someone's donation........they are scheduled ahead and therefore their items will appear Next Year (2012)...as will others that come from the time this post was actually written (12-16) til the end of the year.

PLEASE take time, (even if you've been here looking around on the blog before), new items to see. Check out the updated working calendar, read the tabs titled, Mittens, Scarves, Hats, Hats, and Give a Square.

2011 Donations:

Scarves 473
Hats 969
Mittens 258
Socks 333
Squares 852
Rain Ponchos 216
Cotton Washcloths 345
Sweaters/Poncho's 11
Slippers 128
Afghans 55 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands, shawl, hot packs, or yarn etc.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO'VE DONATED AND OR HELPED BEHIND THE SCENES TO MAKE 2011 SO SUCCESSFUL: (I've gone back through the whole year of posts to compile this list, please let me know if I've left someone out).

Adrienne
Alexis
Amy
Angie M.
Anne G.
AnneMarie
Barb from St. Louis
Barb (not St. Louis, last initial?)
Barbara
Becky
Beth
Betty B.
Bonnie B.
Bridget
Bunny
Carol S.
Cheryl B.
Cheryl G.
Cheryl S.
Chizoba
Christine (my darling daughter)
Chuck (my older brother)
Cindy
Connie S.
Damaris
DaMarys
Deborah K.
Denise F
Diana H.
Diane K.
Dolores W.
Elaine
Evelyn
Frank
Gail B.
Gloria
Helen
Jackie M.
James
Jan (my SIL)
Janice in St. Louis
Jeanette
Jen
Jenny S.
Jennifer T.
Jessica
Joanie B.
Jodi
Joy
Judy L.
Karen A.
Karen H.
Katie B.
Kathy G.
Kathy S.
Kevin (my fabulous neighbor who takes care of the mail in my absence)
Kim J.
Laurie
Linda M.
Liz
Lois (Knotty Knitters)
Louise
Lucille(Knotty Knitters)
Lynn (my friend who makes deliveries for us to Holy Family, Vinton Co, and several schools)
Lynne (Knotty Knitters)
Marie Anne
Marilyn P.
Marilyn W.
Mary A.
Mary H.
Mary (? unsure if this is one of the Mary's above)
Melissa
Melody (Knotty Knitters)
Nancy
Nelda
Niki
Nikki S.
Nola
Panther
Pat E.
Patty L.
Patty S.
Paula K.
Pauline B.
Peggy P.
Peggy in St. Louis
Penny(Knotty Knitters)
Phyllis
Phyllis G (unsure if same as above Phyllis)
Rae (lady who makes deliveries to our Bridge People and 2 free clinics and YWCA family shelter)
Rajani
Rebeccah
Robbie (never identified in order to contact)
RoseMarie
Sacha
Sally
Sandie (from Louisiana)
Sandie (from Florida)
Sandy (me, the 3rd Sandy)
Sara R.
Sara T.
Sarah S
Sharlet
Sherri I.
Sherry K.
Shirley
Stephanie
Sue F.
Sue H.
Sue V.K.
Suzy D.
Suzann W
Tammy
Theresa M.
Theresa S.
Tracy F.
Trudy
Unidentified Donor from the State of Washington
Vickie
Yvonne S.

**Includes names for those who's post and donations are up and coming, but still counted in the year 2011 totals**

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!

St. Vincent de Paul

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is dedicated to assisting those in need. The group is named for a priest, Vincent dePaul 1581-1660, who dedicated his life to serving the poor.

You might remember me chatting/blogging about our friend Lynn whom I met at a sausage party here in the neighborhood about this time last year. She helps us by delivering our donations to Holy Family, and several at need grade schools. Additionally, she helped us spread our wings beyond the boundaries of this county, Franklin with a connection and friend she has in Vinton County. Vinton Co is a very poor county, in Appalachia. Through St. Vincent de Paul our hand knit and hand crocheted and loomed items have warmed more people in need.

I received a little note of thanks in email from Rosemary Savely, and wanted to pass along to you her appreciation for helping those in need in Vinton Co who's poverty rate is quite high. I'm not able to post the note here, due to names being mentioned.

Just know your work is valued, appreciated and so much needed. Keep up the good work.

2011 Donations:

Scarves 459
Hats 934
Mittens 253
Socks 333
Squares 675
Rain Ponchos 216
Cotton Washcloths 339
Sweaters/Poncho's 10
Slippers 115
Afghans 46 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands, shawl, hot packs, or yarn etc.

WOW....think we might hit 1,000 hats before the end of the year? And or 500 scarves?? Wouldn't that be cool!


**PLEASE
Notice the new items on the blog such as a working calendar for part of the upcoming year of 2012, the search this blog feature moved up in a more prominent space on the blog, the guidelines for squares, the things to read Before you donate, the area with details about the people we help, and more. Updates are on going...please, please keep reading.

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!

Holy Family

This note may not be real easy to read, as I had to scan it as a picture in order to load it. However, wanted to share with you this hand written thank you from Frances Carr the director of Holy Family. Sadly, this note got tucked into my file before I posted about it...thus the date of October 24th. Sorry for the delay in sharing it with you.

We've been able to donate since receiving this nice note and will continue to do so. Lynn, the lady I met about this time last year at the sausage party makes our deliveries for us. Thank you for the extra help, it's a time saver for me and much appreciated. If you've not read about The sausage party and how Lynn and I met...please do. Click HERE.

Holy Family was founded way back in 1877 in the historic district of Franklington. The soup kitchen and food bank was started in 1970 and prepares and serves 700 hot meals a day Monday-Friday. In addition approximately 250 families get assistance weekly from The Food Bank.

Our hand knitted, crocheted, and loomed goodies are distributed to those in need as they come in for a much needed hot meal. Thank you all for helping us grow in donated items, helping hands and blog awareness. It's wonderful to be able to help so many in need. And thank you Lynn for your help with the deliveries.

*Did you notice the search this blog feature? I've moved it up quite a bit on the blog in case you hadn't noticed it before. Would you like to read all the post that focus on Holy Family, or some other topic? Type the words you'd like to search and you'll find all the post pertaining to that. Maybe...you'd like to see all the posts regarding your donations in order to make yourself a list...type in your name and a listing of those posts will come up.*

2011 Donations:

Scarves 454
Hats 931
Mittens 253
Socks 333
Squares 675
Rain Ponchos 216
Cotton Washcloths 339
Sweaters/Poncho's 10
Slippers 110
Afghans 46 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands, shawl, hot packs, or yarn etc.

The month of December is half over, for those who like to look ahead I've added January, February, and March of 2012 to our working calendar so you can check out the focuses for those months. The square focus will continue through the end of this month, if you've not yet checked out the guidelines for those squares, please do before knitting, crocheting, and mailing.

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!

A Pyramid of Caring, AWESOME

Bridge and Beyond featured in Crochet Magazine, Dec issue page 17


These 11 packages (7 boxes and 4 pouches) arrived recently while I was out of town. My trusty neighbor...whom you've heard about multiple times made this display for me. I had to share! Firstly, I LOVE that I don't have to stop the mail and that he takes such awesome care of your wonderful handcrafted items. He's truly the best neighbor ever!

He knows and enjoys what we do, and likes to see where all the goods come from. This time though, he truly outdid himself. With the help of his very awesome and adorable son J....arranged these boxes for me to enjoy. His son.........who's adorable was concerned that all the packages were for me, and so they left the Fortune Magazine for my Darling Hubby. How cute is that!!

I envisioned J....sitting in the opening between the boxes and need to ask.............hey did you take a picture! Rest assured all, you're in good hands even when mail is delivered and I'm not around.

The more I looked at this picture the more I got to thinking. Not only is my neighbor awesome, not only are you all awesome to wait til I return to say, "hey...you goodies arrived".............but this represents the true power of a Pyramid...........a Giving Pyramid. Big packages, smaller packages all supporting each other.............all for the good of someone else. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. We support those in need one package, one item, one stitch at a time.............TOGETHER............TOGETHER, WE ARE A FORCE, TOGETHER WE CAN AND DO ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS.............TOGETHER WE MAKE AN IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE

2011 Donations:

Scarves 412
Hats 903
Mittens 247
Socks 318
Squares 567
Rain Ponchos 208
Cotton Washcloths 338
Sweaters/Poncho's 10
Slippers 100
Afghans 44 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands, shawl, hot packs, or yarn etc.

Yesterday I posted information about all the women we've been able to help, while the previous day focused on the men. Today, I want to review with you the children we help through your thoughtful donations. The first group's we added children's items to were the 2 free clinics that care for mothers and their children (no babies), then we added children who wait in line for a hot meal through Holy Family, we've donated directly to the following schools (who work with many homeless children in need: Stiles Elementary, Darby Dale Elementary, West Broad Street Elementary, and Highland Elementary School. We've donated children items to both The Homeless Families Foundation and The YWCA where children and their families live in temporary housing as they try to get back on their feet. And we've extended beyond our borders here in Franklin County and donated children items to Vinton County (a very poor county in Ohio) through St. Vincent DePaul.

Please keep up the good work folks, we've helped many and need to help many more. The cold, wet and dangerous months are upon us. People need our help even more during these times.

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!

Crocheted Scarves Donated for Ohio's Homeless

Thank you Karen A for these fabulous scarves. The men will love the brown camo and tan on the left. The women will enjoy the pretty turquoise and light green and probably the variegated blue since it's a bit more open /feminine stitch. I really love how wavy the stitches look in the brown camo and light green; but the camo...it really shows up. Did you do back loop double crochets?

These scarves are such a nice size, that folks will be able to really wrap up, which is awesome when you're trying to stay warm. Many thanks Karen A for your on going support, it's appreciated.

Yesterday I posted a bit of a reflection/reminder about Men. The Men in need and the men we've helped to date. Today's reflection will focus on Women, and tomorrow's children. Please check in often.

While the group began as a group to help Men, the largest group in need and the group most often forgotten we were quickly able to expand to include adult women in our donations. We knitted and crocheted for women living on the street (though fewer in number then the men), the women living in temporary housing at Nancy Place through Faith Mission, and the women being treated at 2 free clinics that care for Women and Children. Through more growth we were able to add the women who wait in line for a hot meal through Holy Family. We continued to grow more and we're able to add The Homeless Families Foundation where families have help getting back on their feet while living in temporary housing. Shortly there after we added a 2nd family shelter with the same mission..The YWCA that also houses families. We extended yet again and went beyond the borders of Franklin County with donations to help women in Vinton County through St. Vincents DePaul.

Please check in tomorrow and see what together we've accomplished with regard to children.


2011 Donations:

Scarves 412
Hats 903
Mittens 247
Socks 318
Squares 567
Rain Ponchos 208
Cotton Washcloths 338
Sweaters/Poncho's 10
Slippers 100
Afghans 44 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands, shawl, hot packs, or yarn etc.

Asking you all during this busy month to add some extra comments to help the blog, tell a friend, a neighbor a co-worker what you do with your donations. Help us grow more so we help warm more folks in need.

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!

Joy to The World

Day 7 of Jack Otis Memorial Month

Singing..."Joy to the World, Joy to the fishes and deep blue sea...Joy to you and me". The above wonderful donation comes from my friend and former classmate Joy. Joy was also a classmate of Jack Otis. Through the wonderfulness that is Facebook, Joy and I have reconnected more then just when there's a class reunion. How cool is that! Many thanks Joy for your support, your friendship and your thoughtful donation of 6 scarves, and 13 hats. They are all beautifully made, and nice and warm.

2011 Donations:

Scarves 365+6=371
Hats 746+13=759
Mittens 145
Socks 153
Squares 516
Rain Ponchos 84
Cotton Washcloths 324
Sweaters/Poncho's 8
Slippers 91
Afghans 42 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands or yarn etc.

Did you know we've gone "beyond" in our mission yet again? We've extended our help and added 2 family shelters, we've added a couple of schools (through Holy Family), and we've reached "beyond" our community here in Franklin County. We've reached those in need in Vinton County. Read about it HERE.

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!

Buttons and Flowers for Girlies

Day 6 in Novembers Jack Otis Memorial Month
RoseMarie crocheted creations always have details. Click to enlarge. She makes darling flowers and now has added a new touch of little buttons. Crocheted hats, scarves, ear-warmers/headbands and a pair of slippers. The young girls will be styling for sure.

Thanks RoseMarie for your on going support, it's very much appreciated.

2011 Donations:

Scarves 361+4=365
Hats 741+5=746
Mittens 145
Socks 153
Squares 516
Rain Ponchos 84
Cotton Washcloths 324
Sweaters/Poncho's 8
Slippers 90+1=91
Afghans 42 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands or yarn etc.

**Have you read about Jack Otis, the face of homelessness? Please take to, if you've not yet done so. Do you have a story you can share? Please email me at sandycrochet@gmail.com.**

Did you know we've gone "beyond" in our mission? We've extended our help and added 2 family shelters, we've added a couple of schools (through Holy Family), and we've reached "beyond" our community here in Franklin County. We've reached those in need in Vinton County. Read about it HERE.


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!

Homeless, Cold Children in Need THANK YOU!

If you read our blog on a regular basis you know we help many groups. We donate our hand knit and crocheted items to 2 family shelters (The YWCA, The Homeless Families Shelter), we donate our items to 2 free clinics (that care for women and children on the West Side of town), we donate our items to Holy Family (who passes out items to those in need along with a hot meal). Lynn the lady who delivers our items to Holy Family during her volunteer hours also distributes our items to several other areas in need. One such location is Broad Street Elementary School who's children have great need. Many who attend are in fact homeless, many in dire circumstance. It's very difficult to obtain a necessary education when you cold, and hungry and fearful about where you'll be sleeping the night. Though I know we can't take care of all their needs, we can make an important difference with warm hats, scarves, and mittens for these kids.

Here's a nice note from the principal I wanted to share with you all. AND add my thanks to you, for all the work you do.
------------------------------------------
West Broad Elementary
2744 West Broad St.
Columbus, Oh 43204

CCS Mission: Each student is highly educated, prepared for leadership and service, and empowered for success as a citizen in a global community.

October 14, 2011


To Our Friends at Bridge and Beyond,

On behalf of our students and staff, I would like to extend our sincerest gratitude for your donated hats and gloves. Our students are often deprived of clothes and essentials at home and the burden of supplying materials for all of our students becomes very costly. Your generosity and kindness will bring smiles to many students. Those students that receive your materials will surely be grateful and appreciative. It eases the minds of those students that are not prepared with warm clothes to be given them during the cold winter season. I am impressed with your dedication to the children and the neighborhood.

Again, I thank you, my staff thanks you, and most of all, the students thank you.

Sincerely,


Pete Kurty, Principal

and

The staff and students of
West Broad Elementary School
-------------------------------------------
*this is a cut and paste of an email attachment I received, so the spacing is a little off, but I wanted you all to see it*

Highland Elementary School is another school in need that our friend Lynn made a delivery too. Additionally, some donations went to St. Vincent DePaul in Vinton County. Vinton County is one of 29 counties in the state that fall into the Appalachian area. These area's are the poorest in the state. I am hoping donations will continue at such a level that we can continue to spread our wings like this and go "beyond". Vinton is in the brown area when you look at the above map. Franklin, is the county where our clinics, shelters, and Bridge folks are ...that's the orange area.

Asking everyone who reads this today....Please tell at least one person about our cause. Tell them in person, tell them in an email, tell them about it through Facebook, your blog, Twitter. Thank you!

October is mitten month, let's see if we can boast those numbers, still a little bit of time left in the month; though please remember..........we collect them all year long.

November's focus will, Jack Otis Memorial Month, please keep checking in (men will be the focus).

2011 Donations:

Scarves 355
Hats 735
Mitts 142
Socks 135
Squares 515
Rain Ponchos 84
Cotton Washcloths 324
Sweaters/Poncho's 7
Slippers 90
Afghans 40 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands or yarn etc.

**Reminders:
Include a note with your donation
Do not tie and cut when changing yarn, leave several inches and weave in your ends
Avoid open lacy stitches, general rule of thumb if you can poke your finger throw the stitches, they aren't as warm as they could be.
Avoid white as much as possible, shows dirt too easily
Lots of info in FAQ and Before you donate

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!

Slippers, and Socks, and Scarves Oh My !

Wowzer, another great donation from the hook of Annemarie in New York. 4 wonderful, soft, and large scarves, 2 hats, 3 pairs of slippers, and 12 pairs of socks. Annemarie...you rock!

Thank you, thank you, for your thoughtful donation. Please keep up the good work. By the way, these slippers are the first I've seen like this (I think from memory), what pattern did you use?

Mitten monthly is fast approaching an end, if you're busy knitting and crocheting mittens you still have time.

*Remember to include a note with your donation with your name, address (state), email ady, blog url, facebook profile, RAV profile etc; so I can let you know your donation arrived, get things properly documented. Please review the 3 lists here on the blog. Is a state listed by your name? Still have lots without....please let us know by leaving a comment so we can get states added to the map. You do not need to be a blogger to leave a comment, click name and url and leave url blank. Please do not use anonymous. To aid with unidentified donations a section has been added to the right side bar*

2011 Donations:

Scarves 351+4=355
Hats 733+2=735
Mitts 142
Socks 124+12=135
Squares 515
Rain Ponchos 84
Cotton Washcloths 324
Sweaters/Poncho's 7
Slippers 87+3=90
Afghans 39 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands or yarn etc.

**We've added 2 family shelters to our mission-- the list of people we help. Making the list as follows:
Bridge Folks (primarily Men) who live outdoors
Nancy Place through Faith Mission (all women), some of whom have been abused as well as homeless
Faith Mission, Men and Women (mostly Men)
2 Free Clinics, Women and children NO Babies
Holy Family (who pass out warm items along with a hot meal)
The Homeless Families Foundation, Men, Women, and Children....families(temporary housing for 47 families)
The YWCA Family Shelter, Men, Women, and Children....families(temporary housing for 100 families)**
As the list of those in need grows, I'm hopeful that pulling together we can grow our donations to meet the need. I'm hopeful we can spread the word, find more helping hands, and knit and crochet enough. Please help, and know it does matter!!

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!

Blending in, Color and Size for Homeless

Something to think about. AND winner announced yesterday, did you read who?

When you knit or crochet for children bright fun, funky and cheerful colors work well. Kids come in a variety of sizes so hats and scarves can be varied size wise. Let's avoid white, dirt seems to find them, lol. Let's avoid scarves for safety reasons for real young kids-- younger then kindergarten age. We supply 2 free clinics, and The Homeless Families Foundation, and Holy Family, and several schools with kid appropriate items. Some children though are large, I've seen some the size of my 6 foot husband so we also need larger items, and solid colors work well for teens (particularly males).
Hat sizing does vary, but this may help you. Hats should measure 1 to 1 1/2 inches less then the head size. Some information borrowed from Bev's Blog.
Toddler head 18-20 inches length of hat - top to bottom 8 inches Child head 19-20 1/2 inches length of hat - top to bottom 8 1/2 inches Pre-Teen & Teen 20 1/2-22 inches length of hat 9-10 inches
*****remember to measure without stretching the hat, and the length measurement does NOT include what portion of the brim you'll be rolling up*****

Ladies like pretty, soft and warm. Let's avoid open, airy, lacy patterns. General rule if you can see your hand through the item, and or poke your finger through the item, it's probably not as warm as it should be. We supply items for ladies through the 2 free clinics, through The Homeless Families Foundation, Through Holy Family, and through Nancy's Place (Faith Mission). I like to make scarves for women at least 5 inches wide and at least 5 feet long.
Adult Female 21 1/2-22 1/2 inches length of hat 11 inches

Men who live outdoors, our Bridge Folks need large, preferably solid and dark colors for their hats and scarves. Dark or solid colors may not be as pleasing to the eyes when we knit and crochet; but they are more serviceable for people living outdoors. Obviously dark colors don't show the dirt as much, and dark colors can be safer. Wearing solid dark colors helps the homeless blend in, helps them call less attention to themselves which makes them safer. It helps them not be a target for the police who do harass them, it helps them not be a target to other homeless who might be inclined to steal a warm item that stands out and catches their eye. I like to make my scarves for men at least 6 feet long and around 7-8 inches wide.
Adult Male 23-24 inches length of hat 11 1/2 inches

**Have you noticed a new section has been added for unidentified donations here on the blog?**

TIP....avoid white please with your donations

October is mitten month

I've added November's focus to the working calendar, though details will follow. It will be The Jack Otis Memorial Month, it's a personal picture of homelessness and despair


2011 Donations:

Scarves 319
Hats 631
Mitts 137
Socks 124
Squares 454
Rain Ponchos 80
Cotton Washcloths 309
Sweaters/Poncho's 7
Slippers 86
Afghans 33 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)
Misc Items I've not counted misc items like all the personal care items, the neck warmers, head bands or yarn.

Donations in que from: Bunny, Sherry K, Liz, Paula K, Sandy, Suzanne W, Nikki, Carol, Frank, Jenn, Jeanette J, Cheryl, AnneMarie, Sandy

**Enjoyed visiting everyone's blog this am. Have you noticed the additional list here on the blog, one for bloggers, one for non bloggers, and now one for those with Facebook, Rav, Ville, profiles etc.**



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!

Hats for the Homeless are so Appreciated

Received unidentified donation from Seattle, Washington. If you know who that is, please make contact. Thanks!

Thank you DaMary for your crocheted hat for Ohio's Homeless. It is very much appreciated. Hats are so important. Think how much warmer you are when you wear a hat, and have your ears covered. Think how much better you feel when you head is dry. A hat helps get someone in need from having a wet cold head from snow, ice, and sleet. We're providing hats for men, women, and children; so hats of all sizes are needed and very much appreciated. Warm hats that fit a large man, down to school age children. I'm pleased our hat numbers have been good. Giving us the ability to help several schools, kids and moms in free clinics, men and women living on the street, men and women in shelters, and families living in family shelters too.

Don't over look the importance of knitting, crocheting, or looming 1 hat. The power of ONE is awesome.

A few days ago I posted a rather shocking statistic about 9 years old being the average age of homelessness nationally. If you didn't get a chance to read that post, please do. Click HERE. We have through our last couple of years collected more hats for kids then adults, mittens too. These items for kids have been donated to the shelters and the 2 free clinics and directly to some schools. I wanted to re-state that we have been donating for children's benefit so folks didn't get the impression we were only donating to adults and totally switch gears to only making items for children. To date, the group we collect the least for is adult men.

I will be launching a program called Welcome Home tomorrow, so please keep checking in for the post. This will be tied into our recent mission expansion that includes The Homeless Families Foundation in the list of those we help. If you've not yet read the post about that, please do, HERE.

**the large amounts I stocked piled during the summer months donations have been delivered to Rae for the clinics and Bridge Folks, Lynn for Holy Family, and Karie for The Homeless Families Foundation.** It was wonderful to have such a nice stockpile on hand and be able to beat the weather turning cold. Yesterday it was 43 here for a good portion of the day. Folks, that's only 11 degrees above freezing!! So please keep those hooks and needles busy.

**September is Scarf Month, and we're having another contest.
From now until October 8, I'll toss names into a hat for everyone who donates a scarf for a teen or adult...male or female. Feeling like we need to bump those numbers a bit and will draw the winning name from the hat and send out another box of yarn. Contests are fun. We've had several fun, productive, and successful contests. Every scarf donated for a teen or adult (at least 5 inches wide and 5 feet or longer please), will qualify. **

2011 Donations:

Scarves 285
Hats 582+1=583
Mitts 133
Socks 115
Squares 454
Rain Ponchos 80
Cotton Washcloths 305
Sweaters/Poncho's 6
Slippers 86
Afghans 33 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)

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!

Helping Hands Keep Heads warm with Hats for the Homeless

We have some new helping hands. Please wave hello to Jackie M. a friend of DaMary's.

What a nice think, soft and warm hat this is. Awesome colors! Many thanks Jackie for joining in, we appreciate it. Drop us a note in the comment section and let us know if you have a blog, or facebook page and what state you're from. Love to get it added to the blog.

A few days ago I posted a rather shocking statistic about 9 years old being the average age of homelessness nationally. If you didn't get a chance to read that post, please do. Click HERE. We have through our last couple of years collected more hats for kids then adults, mittens too. These items for kids have been donated to the shelters and the 2 free clinics and directly to some schools. I wanted to re-state that we have been donating for children's benefit so folks didn't get the impression we were only donating to adults and totally switch gears to only making items for children. To date, the group we collect the least for is adult men.

I will be launching a program called Welcome Home in the next couple of days, so please keep checking in for the post. This will be tied into our recent mission expansion that includes The Homeless Families Foundation in the list of those we help. If you've not yet read the post about that, please do, HERE.

**the large amounts I stocked piled during the summer months donations have been delivered to Rae for the clinics and Bridge Folks, Lynn for Holy Family, and Karie for The Homeless Families Foundation.** It was wonderful to have such a nice stockpile on hand and be able to beat the weather turning cold. Yesterday it was 43 here for a good portion of the day. Folks, that's only 11 degrees above freezing!! So please keep those hooks and needles busy.

**September is Scarf Month, and we're having another contest.
From now until October 8, I'll toss names into a hat for everyone who donates a scarf for a teen or adult...male or female. Feeling like we need to bump those numbers a bit and will draw the winning name from the hat and send out another box of yarn. Contests are fun. We've had several fun, productive, and successful contests. Every scarf donated for a teen or adult (at least 5 inches wide and 5 feet or longer please), will qualify. **

2011 Donations:

Scarves 285
Hats 581+1=582
Mitts 133
Socks 115
Squares 454
Rain Ponchos 80
Cotton Washcloths 305
Sweaters/Poncho's 6
Slippers 86
Afghans 33 (2 sent to our friends at Pine Street)

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!