Attention All Knitters and Crocheters: Donate to Project Winter Warmth
Posted by Caitlin on October 25th, 2011 at 05:20pm
Editor’s Note: Thank you again to everyone who participated in Breanna’s project. Please note that we are no longer accepting donations at the office, as the project has ended for this year. Thank you!
Attention all knitters and crocheters: I have an exciting opportunity for us all to give back – it’s called Project Winter Warmth.
From now until November 28, Project Winter Warmth will be collecting knit and/or crochet hats, mittens/gloves and scarves for those in need. Donations are needed in all sizes (newborn, adult and children) and will benefit charities in desperate need of these items, mainly the Meals on Wheels program, The INNs Homeless Program, and any local schools where children are in need of these winter items. There are no yarn or pattern requirements for these donations – use whatever you have on hand!
Project Winter Warmth was started by Kenosha high school student Breanna Ricchio (pictured below) who has a passion for helping others. Breanna, along with her teammates on the Bradford High School Girls Varsity Soccer team, hopes to collect enough handmade sets to donate to all of the charities listed above.
When Breanna contacted me a few days ago, I was so excited to help her get the word out about her great cause – she’s from my hometown Kenosha, WI! Breanna started the Winter Warmth Project through the encouragement of her mother. “My mom has always done a lot of charity work and I always tagged behind to help her … She mentioned I should try something on my own. This is the idea I came up with. It’s great my coach and fellow team mates are going to help me out,” she said.
How you can help:
Project Winter Warmth will be collecting knit and/or crochet hats, mittens/gloves and scarves for those in need from now until November 28. Send all of your donations to our office address here:
Project Winter Warmth
Attn: Caitlin Kavanaugh
3400 Dundee Road, Suite 220
Northbrook, Il 60062
Once I receive all the donations by the end of November, I’ll be delivering them to Breanna and Bradford High School in one big load. I live right by her school – what a small world. 
As a special treat: For everyone who sends us a donation, I’ll enter your name into a special contest for a prize package from AllFreeKnitting. We gave away a $50 prize basket for our last charity challenge, so I promise it will be good!
Remember, you can use any pattern you would like, but here are a couple of our favorites from AllFreeKnitting.com. We also have plenty of free patterns for scarves, hats and mittens/gloves to choose from!
Hello New York Winter Accessories
Kindergarten Kit
Happy Knitting!
Tags: Charity, free knitting patterns, giveaway, how to knit, knitting for charity
Under Charity Tags: Charity, free knitting patterns, giveaway, how to knit, knitting for charity
31 Comments for Attention All Knitters and Crocheters: Donate to Project Winter Warmth
1. Breanna Ricchio | October 25th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
I would like to thank Caitlin a million times for posting my Winter Warmth Project. I am SO excited about this, as I hope you are too! I REALLY need to collected a lot of donated sets of these very badly needed items!!! I really want each and every person that needs a hat, scarf, and mittens/gloves to have a set. EVERY person, especially the poor deserve these essential items.
Thank you , thank you, and big hugs ahead of time to each and every person who donates to my project!
God Bless each and every one of you…
Breanna Ricchio
2. angie | October 27th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
Yep, ill be sending something in! Glad to help
3. Judi Ames | October 28th, 2011 at 6:18 am
I’ve already started a hat for this…also will try to do a scarf & mittens by the deadline…I just started crocheting & knitting after over 15 years; so, I’m rather slow yet…but will do the best I can! Thanks for giving me extra incentive!
4. Caitlin | October 28th, 2011 at 10:16 am
Judi – Thanks so much! Even if you only have time to send in a hat, it would be greatly appreciated. You’ll also still be considered for our contest.
-Caitlin
5. Martha Cantu | October 31st, 2011 at 11:58 am
I would love to send in a hat. I’ve been knitting for a little over 2 years and i’ve been looking for something or somewhere to send some of the items i’ve made. So great, i’m so stoked!!
MC
6. Breanna Ricchio | October 31st, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Angie, Judi, and Martha a thousand big hugs to you!!! Thank you , thank you a million times over. I hope each and every reader will donate to my cause. I can’t even imagine living in our frigid state of Wisconsin and not having a set of gloves/mittens, scarves, and hats!!! I am praying every reader jumps on the bandwagon to help….I always picture myself if I was these people in need, and would hope someone was so kind as to present me with these warm winter essentials! Thanks Mom for teaching me well, and to pass it on forward!!!
Hugs to all
Breanna Ricchio
7. sandy | November 1st, 2011 at 6:44 pm
can i include with my knitted projects, mittens made from wool sweaters?
8. Danielle | November 2nd, 2011 at 9:32 am
What a wonderful idea! I’m going to post a link to this post in my blog to let others know about it!
9. Caitlin | November 2nd, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Thank you so much! Sandy – mittens made from the wool of sweaters is absolutely fine!
Danielle, thank you so much for sharing this link on your blog. We really appreciated the help spreading the word!
10. Diane | November 2nd, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Is Breanna doing any of the actual knitting?
11. Kathy | November 3rd, 2011 at 7:17 am
This is a great idea but don’t forget that there is a long winter after November 28. Your local homeless shelters, schools in impoverished areas, childres’s hospitals,senior centers and many other places to donate these items. This is an ongoing need. So keep your needles clicking and rock on.
12. Heather | November 3rd, 2011 at 8:48 am
I will be sendings scarfs ( hopefully more then one but will do my best – not the fastest knitter on hats and mittens so I wont be able to send sets but hopefully the scarves will help
Heather
13. peggy | November 3rd, 2011 at 9:42 am
Will this be an on-going project? Would love to participate…but time is running out.
)
14. Caitlin | November 3rd, 2011 at 11:32 am
Hi Peggy! Project Winter Warmth ends at the beginning of December, but as Kathy mentioned, there are many charities and homeless shelters that are in constant need of these items all year. Thanks so much for commenting!
15. Caitlin | November 3rd, 2011 at 11:35 am
Heather – thank you so much! Anything you can send will be great and very much appreciated.
16. Caitlin | November 3rd, 2011 at 11:45 am
Diane – Breanna is the coordinator for Project Winter Warmth. She’ll be sorting all of the donated items by size and will be hand delivering them to the charities listed above – all while balancing her school work.
I know that her and her mom have already contributed donations themselves, but they need our help to collect enough for all of the charities.
Hope this helps!
17. Pat Webb | November 3rd, 2011 at 1:31 pm
I would like to have this project run as the Million Pillowcase Project is being run. We make the pillowcases, donate them to a local charity and then go online to report how many we donated.
I have about 2 dozen hats I have knitted and I would like them to go to a charity. But I don’t want to spend the money to mail them. Why can’t I donate them to a charity in my town and report what I have done and then it counts in a total number? The important thing is that we help the charities – in all towns. The money I spend on postage can be used for more yarn for more hats which help more people.
Consider going national with this. How many hats can be donated to charities nationally? Could a million be reached?
Pat Webb
18. Teresa (Knittingdancer) | November 3rd, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Will you accept cowls? I have a bulky cowl , the one on the cover of Knit Simple holiday issue allready knitted. I been looking for someplace cold to sent it?
Teresa
19. Caitlin Kavanaugh | November 4th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Hi Teresa – A cowl would be wonderful. Send it over and I’ll make sure it gets to Breanna for delivery!
Thanks so much!
20. Lisa | November 5th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Hi there, I have a some things to send too! Just need to find a box! Thank you for doing this! Lisa Kraft
21. Carol Becker | November 6th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
I’ll be sending a couple of scarves – This is a great endeavor! Best of luck.
22. Colleen Carroll | November 12th, 2011 at 11:10 pm
I will sending hats and scarfs. I have a few done already. This is a wonderful thing to do and it is my pleasure to be apart of it. Thanks
23. Mary Fullerton | November 13th, 2011 at 9:05 am
Yes, some I have stored the last few years will be on their way this week. Others will go to a local Christmas Craft Festival..
24. Project Winter Warmth: Ha&hellip | November 14th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
[...] the beginning of this month, I made a call out to all knitters and crocheters to donate to Project Winter Warmth. Started by high school student Breanna, Project Winter Warmth is charity effort that’s [...]
25. Teresa (Knittingdancer) | November 15th, 2011 at 9:25 am
Caitlin,
I mailed my bulky cowl yesterday. It should arrive on Thursday.
Teresa
26. Caitlin | November 15th, 2011 at 10:50 am
Thank you, Teresa! I will keep my eyes open for them. Thanks so much for participating.
Caitlin
27. Jennifer | November 16th, 2011 at 5:13 am
YAY! I have been knitting charity scarves all year and have been wanting to find a good place to donate them. This is wonderful! Thank you for posting this!
28. Cathi Munley | November 20th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Caitlin,
Relatively new to the world of knitting and finally feel comfortable sharing my work, I have knitted (needles and knifty knitter) 14 scarves. I will mail them out to you tomorrow (11/21) from here in South Carolina.
Maybe by next year, I will have mastered gloves and hats!
Thanks for promoting Breanna’s great project!
29. Breanna Ricchio | November 27th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
I would just love to be able to give each and everyone of you a BIG hug and kiss for helping me with PROJECT WINTER WARMTH!!! Tis the season for giving, and boy there are so many people who REALLY need my help! My goal is 1,200 sets. I will keep you posted when the final count is in. God Bless you all with your kind and giving hearts.Caitlin you are awesome, and that is an understatement!!! My Mom has been threading color coordinated sets together as they come to our house. She’s put up with her living room filled with boxes like a warehouse, and it’s killing her not to be able to dust or vaccume that room-let alone walk through itlol! She is a great role model-thanks Mom! I Love you…Brean
30. Project Winter Warmth &hellip | November 29th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
[...] that AllFreeKnitting would be collecting knit and crochet hats, scarves and gloves on behalf of Project Winter Warmth. For everyone who sent us in items, we would enter you into a contest for a special prize [...]
31. Breanna Ricchio | January 15th, 2012 at 8:08 pm
A HUGE thank you to EVERYONE who donated to “Project Winter Warmth”, it was a huge sucess. I was able to help 7 organizations with close to 900+ sets of NEW hats, scarves mittens/gloves.Actually, they are still coming in! The organizations were just as much in awe looking through all the had crafted “goodies” as I was.I wish-I had that talent, they were all absouletly beautiful. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.With love,
Breanna Ricchio
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