KNITTING FOR THE NEEDY

Volunteers

We need proactive committed volunteers to set up and manage 'Knitting for the Needy' groups in their local areas.

Who can volunteer? Anyone! (Even if you can't knit)

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Learning from elders wisdom

Hello lovely friends and fellow knitting volunteers,

Brrrrrrrr its still pretty chilly here in Sydney! I often think about the men women and children on the streets who might be a bit warmer bundled up in our knitting. Even on the coldest days here it certainly gives me a bit of a warm glow to know we gave away such a good load this year!

I am writing to you today because i wanted to share an special moment i had this week at my knitting for the needy group.

One of the many benefits of doing this kind of volunteer work is that in this fast paced crazy world I get time out for 2 hours every week to slow down and have rich and meaningful conversations with my elders. It is a rare thing in this world, for someone my age to take regular time out each week just to listen to elder wisdom and i can’t begin to tell you how it has changed my life.

At first i used to talk more than i used to listen – I think because i was uncomfortable in the silence. My young mind was moving a million miles an hour. Many older people are much better at simply dwelling in the present moment. They have a contentedness and peace that so many younger people could learn from. I do believe if the separation in our society between the elders and the youth wasn’t so great we would have more happy and peaceful communities.

Anyway, so this week we had a guest in our knitting group. Her name is Lorraine Grant (I call her Rainy). Rainy can’t actually knit but she felt like coming out of her room for a chat so she joined our table while we all had a cuppa and a knit. I have know Rainy for years. I often visit her in her room on my way home after knitting group. She is a wise and patient soul and she has taught me alot since I have known her.

This week she taught me about contentment and true unshakable happiness.

During our chat one of our knitting ladies began to complain about how she was really sick of being at the nursing home. She had been there longer than most and was going through a period of depression. She seemed frustrated and disillusioned this morning. She had been having some health issues and it was all really getting her down. She had a look of defeat and sorrow about her as she spoke.

As she was talking she suddenly looked at Rainy and stopped mid sentence “She’s been here even longer”. It suddenly dawned on her that Rainy must be in a terrible state after all this time. Not only had Rainy been there longer but she also was pretty much bed ridden and spent most of her days alone in her room. She has a very painful arthritis that can flare up so severely that sometimes when i go to visit her she kindly says she can’t talk because she is in to much pain.

I asked Rainy “How long have you been here?” and she slowly and serenely answered “I don’t really experience time in the way most people do so I don’t really worry about that”.

When i asked her what she meant she told me that she didn’t think much of the past or worry about the future. She tried to always just be here and now and then she was happy. All she was concerned with right now was her nice cup of tea and enjoying our company and thats all that mattered.

She went on to explain, with the sweetest smile, that she never really got sad or frustrated by her situation. My body may have a problem but i don’t have to make it a problem. I am not worried about death because thats in the future. I am not depressed about my situation because that is the story of my past. Right now i am just sitting here having a nice cup of tea with you.

What an incredible embodiment of true contentment and happiness!

Rainy reminds me that happiness is not in things it is in us. She reminds me that it is my own state of mind that determines how i feel not the external state of my life, and i can take responsibility for my state of being at any time. This is so empowering.

The wonderful and Wise 'Rainy'

She also reminds me that life is here and now in this present moment. We all get so caught up in our minds thinking about the past, worrying about the future, trying to become something or get something – when the incredible miracle of life is in our midst here and now. This is what i learnt this week from my lovely friend Rainy. To always stop and smell the roses. To be grateful and to delight in the simple things in life (aren’t they often the best?!) and to live my life as much as possible in the delicious vibrant beauty of the present moment.

Thanks Rainy!

June 15, 2010

New beginnings

Hi my lovely friends,

Well here we are at the beginning again. The beginning of a new ‘knitting for the needy’ year. We have given all of our knitting away and we are busily knitting way for next winter already.

I must say, I think we gave it all away just in the nick of time. Anyone here in Sydney knows that we just had one heck of a mean cold snap! I am still thawing out. I am glad the men, women and kids at the WAGEC and the station had our knitting to keep them cosy and warm through those days and nights. I was cold here in my house so i can only imagine what it was like on the streets.

We have received these beautiful thank you letters from ‘the station’ homeless refuge today. Its always wonderful to get some feedback to know your work is appreciated! I have hung mine up above my work station in my home office. it gives me something to smile about during the day when i am working away.

Knitting for the needy group Coffs Harbour

Thank you poster from the station homeless refuge 2010

In other news I would like to introduce you to our newest knitting for the needy group. They have just started up in Coffs Harbour at a supported living village called ‘Village Life’. In the group there we have Shirley, Barbara, Betty, Lois, Peggy, June, Shiela, Lillian, Nancy and Christine all creating wonderful warm wooly items to give away next winter. This group was started up by none other than my lovely mum who is the village manager there (Christine). Thanks for your support mum!

The website is in the process of getting a good overhaul at the moment and some great changes are on the way.

Thanks again for all of your wonderful support guys. Take care and keep up the great knitting.

Also please do try out the knitters forum if you have questions to ask or patterns or stories you’d like to share.

Thank you letter from 'the station' homeless refuge 2010

June 7, 2010

The Big Winter Giveaway Day

I just want to take this opportunity to thank you all so much for your support and your encouragement for knitting for the needy. So many people have sent me lovely messages and kind words which gives me the urge to keep on trucking on!

We at Windsong Nursing Home in Manly, and another group from Forestville Village Retirement Village, have been getting together every week for a year to knit some warm stuff for the homeless. We just get together over a cuppa and have a chat and enjoy ourselves.

Womens refuge knitting with cards attached. ready to pack up and deliver!

The most wonderful thing about knitting for the needy is that it’s a very simple idea but has a range of benefits. While you are getting together with people in a nursing home or a retirement village to knit, your providing multiple benefits.

1. We’re reconnecting with our elders and doing our part to end elderly social isolation (which is a major source of depression, illness and death in the elderly. Isolation literally kills)

2. Its giving the knitters in the nursing homes a sense of purpose and meaning again. They are now able to contribute something of value and get the ‘helpers high’ from doing volunteer work so it increases their quality of life. We even have ladies that are bed ridden knitting for us so it gives them a way to contribute.

3.Its providing a valuable service for the homeless community by giving them knitted goods to keep them warm throughout winter and let them know someone cares.

The last knitting group before the big giveaway. Lexy displaying a crochet rug for the homeless

My hope is to get knitting for the needy into nursing homes and retirement villages all over Australia. I have plans this year to expand the reach of what we are doing and i am really excited that we might be able to touch the lives of more needy folks (both lonely elders and homeless people)

This week i had the awesome task of taking all of our knitting to 2 refuges in the city. One for men and one for women.

Over all we had 167 items to give away. Some of them were beautiful hand-knitted blankets that took 3 or 4 months to make, some were colourful beanies and scarves. We also has the odd jumper or teddy bear for the families at the womens refuge.

We took the time to do up some handmade cards for a personal touch for the womens refuge. It was also a way for us to involve more people at the nursing homes that cannot knit.

Letter to the homeless men, attached to every item

We printed a little message on each card this year….
Dear Friend,

This was hand knitted for you, with love, by the ladies at knitting for the needy in Manly. We hope it keeps you cosy on those colder days.

We have been meeting together each week for the past year in Windsong Nursing home in Manly. Each week we’d have cuppa, have a chat, and knit away – creating this gift for you.

We may not know you personally but we put a little bit of our hearts into our knitting in the hopes it would bring you warmth and maybe a little happiness and let you know we care.

Your Mates,

Mellissa, Lexy, Sadie, Jean, Alice, Janet, Evon www.KnittingForTheNeedy.com

card making at windsong nursing home. Lovely hand made cards were attached to all the knitting for the womens refuge

The 2 refuges we gave the stuff to were

- For the mens stuff – ‘The Station’ http://www.thestationltd.org/ Here is a bit about them…

The Station is a drop in and resource centre for people who are homeless and unemployed. The organisation is a registered charity and unlike the larger Institutions, we receive limited funding from the NSW Dept of Health and the Dept of Community Services. Our clients are amongst the most disadvantaged and marginalized in the community.

We provide a place where service users can feel comfortable and at ease during the day. We offer meals, personal lockers, laundry facilities and showers, medical attention, support, advocacy, information and counselling.

Knitted stuff getting packed up to go to the mens refuge 'the station'

- For the women and children – ‘Women and Girls Emergency Centre’http://www.wagec.org.au/
About them..
Women’s & Girls’ Emergency Centre is a drop in centre for homeless women and their children in the Inner City of Sydney.

We provide access to basic necessities such as food, showers, washing machines, material and social assistance, a safe space, and a place to create community. We also provide case management services to assistance women to access housing, medical, drug and alcohol, mental health, legal and other services.

The women we support are predominantly long term homeless women, who have little family and community support. Many of the women have lived transient lifestyles impacted by issues such as domestic violence; history of sexual assault; mental health; drug and alcohol use, and come from a variety of diverse backgrounds.

Womens refuge knitting with cards attached. ready to pack up and deliver!

I was so stoked to give it all away this year. Its always such a great feeling. For me its better than christmas. In fact its made me realise christmas would be so much for fun doing volunteer work rather than opening pressies….i wonder if i could convince the family??? hmmmm, i’ll keep you updated on that.

Here are some more photo’s from this years giveaway…

Mellissa delivering some of the knitting to the womens refuge WAGEC

Colourful rug and handmade card attached

gorgeous hand knitted teddy for women and kids refuge

Baby jumper with handmade card

Beautiful knitted items for the womens and childrens refuge

May 24, 2010

Knitting for the needy wants your inspirational words!

Hello everyone!

I get really excited at this time of year because on the first day of winter i give away all of the knitting we’ve been working at all this past year. Its so fun attaching all the cards, bundling it all up and driving to the homeless refuge. i get such a buzz out of it! This year we decided to be also add a nice little touch. We’ve been making cards to attach to each beanie, scarf and blanket. We have been putting personal inspirational and uplifting messages inside each one and this is where i would love your help. Get involved and create your own inspiring or unplifting message to put inside a card for the homeless. You can share a favourite quote, poem, story, joke or piece of advice. Lets collaborate in the name of kindness! Spread the message around – get your friends to join in the discussion. Post this on your facebook status and encourage others to join the knitting for the needy facebook group. ask your mum for a bit of good advice. lets spread some inspiration! Please go to the forum and post your inspirational message! http://knittingfortheneedy.com/knitters-forum/ and use the forum called ‘Inspirational messages for cards’ Thanks so much for your help guys. Lots of love Mellissa

January 24, 2010