The Great Knitting Giveaway – Reinvented!
For over 15 years, the Great Knitting Giveaway has connected GEF seniors and local charities through a common desire to help Edmontonians in need. Our talented knitters have given countless hours to create thousands of scarves, toques, blankets, and mitts for charities such as Hope Mission, The Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, and Crystal Kids Youth Centre.
The one-day event has traditionally been an opportunity for charities to come pick up items that have been lovingly stitched by GEF seniors, and for the knitters to collect their yarn for next year’s projects. Year after year, individuals in the community have generously donated yarn for this cause.
At the October 2022 Great Knitting Giveaway, for example, GEF donated 5,240 items to local charities and received nearly 4,000 skeins of yarn in donations.
A New Vision for the Great Knitting Giveaway
Through previous event feedback, knitters expressed a desire to see where their items were going and possibly meet the people receiving them through more intimate and regular meetings. Instead of the previous one day giving event, our knitters now take the initiative to reach out to charities individually, find out what the specific needs are and then focus on weaving love and time into creating warm items to donate.
With this new focus of allowing knitters to tailor their projects according to the specific needs of the charities they choose to work with, meaningful connections are being made in the community between the knitters and recipients.
Weaving Connections Within the Community
Last winter, knitters from Rosslyn Place Lodge visited Operation Friendship Seniors Society to help sort donations at their distribution site and see the impact of their donated knitted items. Click here to see the story on YouTube.
The Great Knitting Giveaway 2024 is underway with even more opportunities throughout the year to connect with charities in need. This fall, the dedicated knitting group from Rosslyn Place Lodge donated warm winter woolies to the Salvation Army.
Stay tuned for regular updates throughout the year of the many knitting projects in the works and on their way to impacting more charitable organizations who need them.
Donate Yarn, Make a Difference!
The Life Enrichment Team supplies knitters with yarn on demand throughout the year and is readily accepting NEW yarn donations to continue the Great Knitting Giveaway efforts. Our various collection points in Edmonton are:
West Central: Central Services, 14220 – 109 Avenue
Southside: Ottewell Place Lodge, 6207 – 92 Avenue
Northside: Rosslyn Place Lodge, 10915 – 134 Avenue
If you have any questions about yarn donations, please call 780.482.6561 or email communications@gef.org.