Monday, August 24, 2020

August Update

Hello Friends of Warm Hands!

We hope you are all safe and well.  Thank you to everyone for your support of Warm Hands and your inquiries on when we will be receiving items again. We know you are eager for things to get back to “normal”, and we are too! However, we are not there yet.

It has always been a challenge for WHN to balance out our supply (of your lovely handcrafts), shipping & distribution, and the needs of our partners. Under normal circumstances, that balance works out. However, COVID-19 has disrupted that balance, impacting our shipping and distribution chains (and even our Packing Nights). We are also being exceedingly cautious before starting to work again with many of our usual partners, which are largely vulnerable populations.

For these reasons, we ask that you continue to hold on to your WHN items for now. Please do not ship to us at this time. The last thing we want is for your lovingly made handknits to be sent to us, and for us to be unable to distribute them in a timely manner.

If you are looking with alarm at a growing pile of handknits taking over a corner of your home and wish to get them sent out, you are of course welcome to share them with another organization accepting handknits. There are so many worthy causes deserving of your work, and we all have the same goal - of helping to keep each other warm. Of putting mitts on a child, a blanket around someone who needs a hug, socks on cold feet.

We are working to connect with new partners to see what may be possible, and will keep you informed as we know more. Thank you to everyone for your support of Warm Hands! Keep knitting, and stay safe.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Catching Up!

Hi Everyone, it has been a little while since our last update!

First of all - With regard to our next mailing date: in view of the social distancing measures in place across the country, we don’t want to put anyone in the position of making trips to the post office at this time.  Please feel free to continue to craft for Warm Hands, but we ask you to hold on to your knits and crocheted items for the time being. We will post a new mailing date when it is appropriate.

As well, THANK YOU to all those who made slippers for the campaign for Larga Baffin, they were so pleased at the quantity that we shared with them in December.  A large number of beautiful blankets were also shared with Larga, which were received with pleasure as there were a few new babies in residence!

I also want to share with you that we have a new northern partner,  Kugaardjuq school in Kugaaruk, Nunavut!  The school has 375 students (K to12), but has asked us to focus on socks and hats and extra-warm mittens for their 157 students in grades K to 4 (ages 5 to 10).  We have two boxes en route to the school, and do expect to send them another shipment with their requested sizes once we hear back from them and get their feedback.

Lastly - big thanks to all of these generous crafters below, whose parcels have arrived in Ottawa since my last update:
Karen from Saskatachewan
Jackie from WA
SL from Maine
Lizzie from AB
Wentheknitter Ottawa (2)
Marcia from Loretto ON
Christina from Kemptville ON
Laura from Abbotsford BC
Sandra from Nelson BC
Rita from Mississauga ON
Janet from Fredericton NB
Wendy from Smoky Lake AB
Dr. Peg from Midland ON
Anna from Morrisburg ON
BS from Toronto ON

Thank you for your support of Warm Hands, and take care everyone!