Donating Crocheted Slippers Helps Homeless

Happy Easter.

While today is a Sunday, and a day off from The A-Z Challenge, we do still have donations to share and praise.  These fabulous slippers are crocheted and donated by Cheryl B's friend Romona F.  The slippers are nice and thick, therefore both warm and durable with nice tight stitches...and I think double yarn?  Lots of colors and sizes to warm feet of many different sizes.

Many thanks Cheryl for mailing your friend, Romana's slippers and for spreading the word for Romona to help us.  Welcome to the group Romona F, we're always thrilled to have more helping hands, and look forward to seeing you here on Bridge and Beyond in the future.

Thank you for this thoughtful donation ladies, and Please keep up the good work.

**We've on just begun with the A-Z challenge, tomorrow will be day 5 and the letter E, hope to see you as days and letters continue.  Thus far, I'm pleased to say we have some new followers as I write this we're at 311, believe we were at 205 ish prior to the challenge.  Comments are picking up nicely and a few folks may join us here with our mission, while others may try to find a similar group in their local area to help; and that's good too.  If we've inspired a few more souls to lend a helping hand to their fellow man, it's been successful.  On the technical side of things, there are people who signed up that have comments closed, no badge, and or 3 steps to get through for captcha's, who really aren't participating.  In past years I've taken time to note them all and, as requested let the organizers know.  I found that frustrating, it often seemed it didn't do any good.  I now look to see if comments are open, you don't have to sign in or register with another service and whether or not they have the badge, if they don't; I don't read the blog post and move on.  Vs taking time to read it, and start to formulate a response and get frustrated at wasting time.  My attitude is different this year, and because of that I am less frustrated than other years during the challenge using other blogs.  My mission this year is to spread the word about our cause, and the plight of the homeless across the nation.  By doing that, concentrating on the larger need, and being hopeful we'll gain some additional helping hands...I'm glad I took the time to join, to write and schedule 26 alphabetical posts, visit other blogs daily,  and already feel like it's been a worthwhile venture for our friends, The Homeless who are in need.

2015 DONATIONS:
Hats: 179
Scarves 67
Mittens/Gloves/Wrist Warmers: 45
Slippers: 50+13=63
Rain Poncho's:  53
Cotton Washcloths: 109
Afghans: 6
Socks: 126
Cowls 12
Shawls 1
Misc: items like personal care and things don't fit into above categories aren't counted

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.

Donation

Day #4, A-Z challenge = D= Donation.

What is a donation?  Google says it's a noun, it's origin is Latin, and it means the act of giving, especially to a charity, a contribution.  Our donations from Bridge and Beyond  for those living outside in the elements, those living day to day in various shelters give hope.  My google search tells me a Butterfly is the symbol for Hope.  I believe we give hope as well as physical warmth with our donations of hand crafted items.  Being cold, hungry...a person needs hope.

Many people immediately think of money when someone says the word donation.  Donations can be varied.  Donations can be money, they can be time, they can be products, they can be a combination of all 3.  We don't collect or donate money here on Bridge and Beyond.  We do donate our time...the time it takes to knit or crochet a hat, the time it takes to read or write blog posts, the time it takes to read or write blog comments.  We also donate products...ie, the finished work....the hat, the scarf or pair of mittens.  We donate personal care items and socks, those too are products.

Some folks may have the ability to donate more, some don't.  It's not the volume that's important, it's that we donate.  And truly every bit of it, every completed work, every minute of time spent...it all counts for something good.

Can you donate?  You don't have to be able to knit or crochet to donate.  You can donate socks, and or personal care items.  You can donate yarn, or postage to a friend who's donating through knitting and crocheting.  You can donate your time to read and posts comments to support those who are knitting and crocheting, you can help spread the word.  Please do what you can.  Please donate to those less fortunate, if not here on Bridge and Beyond, locally.  Every donation matters to someone!

Thank you AnneMarie for this awesome donation of personal care items.  What a fabulous donation.  These are all Avon products she purchased from our other good friend, Sherry K.  What a win win donation.  Personal Care items are needed all year long for men, and women.  Those in shelters as well as those living out in the elements are always in need.

Keep up the good work AnneMarie from New York!

2015 DONATIONS:
Hats: 179
Scarves 67
Mittens/Gloves/Wrist Warmers: 45
Slippers: 50
Rain Poncho's:  53
Cotton Washcloths: 109
Afghans: 6
Socks: 126
Cowls 12
Shawls 1
Misc: items like personal care and things don't fit into above categories aren't counted

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.

What is Crochet

 This afghan, titled Blue Sky

And this afghan titled Purple Iris are crocheted and on their way to our friend Sarah S to be assembled.  This won't be the easiest of jobs, as you can see the squares aren't the same size, in fact a few in Blue Sky are rectangles and not squares; but she has graciously agreed to lend me a helping hand by putting these together.  Thrilled to have some help on that score.  Many thanks Sarah, we're all looking forward to seeing the end products.

 Today's A-Z challenge is C.  C=crochet.  The two afghan above will be assembled then donated as part of our project for "Welcome Home".  Crocheted and knitted afghans are donated to Homeless Families Foundation discussed in the A post Here

**For new readers, I always name the afghans, based on what they look like.  And when I get stumped some of the good folks who donate to Bridge and Beyond turn their creative juices on and help with the naming as well.

So what is crochet...well wiki says:

Crochet (English pronunciation: /kroʊˈʃeɪ/;^[1] French: [kʁɔʃɛ]^[2]) is a process of creating fabric from yarn, thread, or other material strands using a crochet hook.^[3] The word is derived from the French word "crochet", meaning hook. Hooks can be made of materials such as metals, woods, or plastic and are commercially manufactured as well as produced by artisans. 

Some folks get confused about crochet vs knitting.  Crochet is as stated above a hook...knitting is 2 needles.

I learned to crochet when I was very young, about 7 I think from a friends Grandmother.  My friend Pam's Grandmother made magical things from string...that's what it seemed like to me.  I'd sit beside her and watch, and probably drove the poor woman nuts with all kinds of questions.  Then one day...she handed me a red plastic crochet hook and a ball of mint green yarn and proceeded to show me how to make a dollie.  I'm sure it was lovely, lol.  Anyway, it's a fond memory and I was very proud of that green dollie....no clue what happened to it though.  Mom probably, being a good Mother used it until I lost interest, lol

I didn't crochet anything else until years later when my husband was working and going to college.  I had a lot of alone time, time on my hands and decided I needed a hobby.  I think the next thing I made was 

a green vest, very similar to the blue one in this old hippie pattern.  In fact, I think I had this pattern book, or at very least I actually remember looking at it.  Thankfully my skills have improved and what you can make with crocheting has improved.  The yarn now available is 100% better then what used to be available.  AND, it's very popular again, it's not just for Grandma's.

2015 DONATIONS:
Hats: 179
Scarves 67
Mittens/Gloves/Wrist Warmers: 45
Slippers: 50
Rain Poncho's:  53
Cotton Washcloths: 109
Afghans: 6
Socks: 126
Cowls 12
Shawls 1
Misc: items like personal care and things don't fit into above categories aren't counted


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.