The Guild's official service project for 2023 is knitting for foster children and families. Our partners are Boxes of Love and With Love.
Why Two Organizations?
Working with two organizations will let us serve a more diverse group of foster kids. This means we knitters and crocheters will have more choice in what we create — if you love knitting toddler sweaters, then knit toddler sweaters. And if crocheting toys is your jam, get that hook out and get your amigurumi on! Boxes of Love is especially interested in toddler sweaters and hats for babies through teens, while With Love is hoping to share dolls with diverse skin tones with their clients. Both organizations would love to wrap their kids in some warm baby blankets. Watch for challenges throughout the year that will focus on these items, but don’t feel limited. If it is warm and soft and a child can wear it or cuddle it, we can find a home for it between these two groups. The only requirement is that you use MACHINE-WASHABLE and SOFT yarns.
Working with two organizations will let us serve a more diverse group of foster kids. This means we knitters and crocheters will have more choice in what we create — if you love knitting toddler sweaters, then knit toddler sweaters. And if crocheting toys is your jam, get that hook out and get your amigurumi on! Boxes of Love is especially interested in toddler sweaters and hats for babies through teens, while With Love is hoping to share dolls with diverse skin tones with their clients. Both organizations would love to wrap their kids in some warm baby blankets. Watch for challenges throughout the year that will focus on these items, but don’t feel limited. If it is warm and soft and a child can wear it or cuddle it, we can find a home for it between these two groups. The only requirement is that you use MACHINE-WASHABLE and SOFT yarns.
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The Boxes of Love Project is a grassroots effort to provide babies and children entering foster care from local hospitals with a large box of new clothing, pajamas, shoes, and other comfort items to call their own…A Box of Love. It is their mission to let these babies and children know that they are valued and loved. Having their own clothes and comfort items help the children feel secure during what can be very frightening times. 
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At With Love, the mission is to help foster families change the lives of children ages 0 – 6 by providing resources that nurture dignity, hope, and community. Like Boxes of Love, With Love is also a grassroots organization. They answer specific requests from foster families within a few days of a new child entering the home. Families are also able to continue to make requests for goods every 90 days while a child is in their care. They provide everything from clothing and toys to baby gear and diapers.
Prizes? Of course, there are prizes!
As rewarding as it already is to create warm items for those who can use them, the Guild would like to reward our service knitters a bit more. We will be awarding gift cards to local yarn stores to the most prolific contributor as well as one to a randomly chosen participant. Second prize, also randomly selected, will be a lovely yarn gift, and there will also be random drawings for yarn and gift cards from member participants in our periodic challenges for specific items. Watch for the details at our monthly meetings
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The Guild's official service project for 2022 was in partnership with North By Northeast Community Health Center.
North by Northeast Community Health Center, NxNE, is the only medical clinic in Oregon devoted to African American/Black health. Since seeing their first patient in 2006, the clinic has provided primary care services as well as health education and promotion through a variety of venues. Whether in the clinic, at a street-fair-like community gathering focused on home safety or through boxes of fresh organic produce, their message that Black Health Matters has been delivered loud and clear. We were honored to support them in this work in our small way. In November 2022, we presented NxNE with 828 winter warmth items. We held three challenges over the year, The Warm Head Challenge that produced 231 items, The Dishcloth Challenge that resulted in 168 dishcloths, and The Matched Set Challenge which had 18 sets of hats with matching mitts. Scarves, sweaters, and other items filled out the rest of the gifts. |
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The Guild's official service project for 2021 was once again in partnership with Rose Haven.
Rose Haven is a day shelter and community center in Portland serving more than 3,300 women, gender non-conforming folk and their children annually who are experiencing the trauma of abuse, loss of home, and poverty. Rose Haven first helps meet basic needs for food, clothing, hygiene, and safety. Then guests are provided education, support and resources to assist them in regaining stability in their lives. In November 2021, we presented Rose Haven with over 300 winter warmth items including pairs of socks, slippers, and mitts, hats, headbands, cowls, scarves, shawls, sweaters, and a blanket. |
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The Guild’s official service project for 2020 was in partnership with Butterfly Boxes.
Butterfly Boxes, started by Puddletown member Adrienne and her sister-in-law, helps established community members welcome refugees to Oregon. These newest of Oregonians come from around the globe and often arrive with few of the basic necessities or home comforts we take for granted. Butterfly Boxes seeks to bridge that gap with airport welcome bags, made by volunteers and delivered to the airport by their partners at Catholic Charities. These bags are filled with basic necessities like toiletries and towels, comfort items like stuffed animals and dolls, and organizational tools like calendars and folders to help settle into life in Oregon. In December 2020, we presented Butterfly Boxes almost 150 handmade stuffed animals. |
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The Guild's official service project for 2019 was in partnership with Rose Haven.
Rose Haven is a day shelter and community center in Portland serving more than 3,300 women, gender non-conforming folk and their children annually who are experiencing the trauma of abuse, loss of home, and poverty. Rose Haven first helps meet basic needs for food, clothing, hygiene, and safety. Then guests are provided education, support and resources to assist them in regaining stability in their lives. In December 2019, we presented Rose Haven about 50 handcrafted blankets and many boxes of menstrual products. |
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The Guild's official service project for 2018 was in partnership with the Sunshine Division.
Since 1923, the Sunshine Division has been providing food and clothing relief to Portland families and individuals in need. Whether due to the loss of a job, domestic crime, illness, or victims of fire or disaster, the Sunshine Division has built a 95-year legacy of mobilizing quickly and efficiently to assist distressed Portlanders. In November 2018, we presented the Sunshine Division with over 200 beautiful hats for their charity. |