project help.

i heart...

community projects.

and so far we've concentrated mostly on collaborative zine projects (have a look here & here) which have been so much fun to organise & have introduced me to some very talented people.
however, this project is going to be a bit different. it's far from a new concept, but i think it's a lovely one.

introducing, post a patch...

now, i've been thinking about this project from waaaayyy before xmas & have been contacting charities to offer them the donation of these proposed blankets - something i didn't really see being a problem. i mean surely children's charities that help orphanages, charities that help people in 3rd world countries, homeless charities that help people on the streets, would jump at the chance of the donation of blankets, right? wrong.

i contacted Oxfam, who replied saying it would be too expensive to get the blankets overseas (which i can understand), Barnados who replied saying they already have a local ladies group that provide them with handmade goods, Action For Children who never replied, Shelter who passed me onto Crisis, Crisis who said they already have bedding... it goes on.

i never, ever imagined it would be so hard to give something away to charity. some have suggested to sell the blankets & donate the money to them, but that's not what this project is about. it is about one community giving something to another. a blanket doesn't just keep you warm, it makes you feel safe & knowing that it was made by people from all over wanting to help, i would hope would make the receiver feel wanted, loved & less alone.

so before we even get our knitting needles out, i need your help. do you know of any charities that would welcome our blankets with open arms? do you live near a nursing home/homeless shelter/orphanage that would benefit from these blankets? any suggestions would be very much appreciated. and if all else fails you will see me handing out blankets to homeless people on the street myself!

xox.