This year Woollinn is delighted to work with two charities, Revived Yarn and Cooking for Freedom. We would love for you to get involved and it’s easier than you think! If you aren’t attending Woollinn but would still like to donate to either of these charities, please follow the links in this post to their Facebook pages.
Cooking for Freedom
This year all of the cloakroom proceeds will go to Cooking for Freedom, so drop off your coat and extra bags and help us make a difference to people living in Direct Provision in Ireland.
As crafters, we all know the simple joy there is to be found in making something for our friends and family members. When we can put a little part of ourselves and our skill in to fashioning a gift that shows how much the people in our lives mean to us. In an everyday setting we do that for each other through preparing meals and sharing time around a dinner table – but can you imagine not being permitted to carry out such a simple act with your friends and loved ones?
That’s how it is for thousands of people living in Direct Provision Centres around Ireland today. While waiting years for asylum applications to be decided on, the residents are not given any access to kitchens and all meals are served in canteen settings.
Cooking for Freedom is a project that helps people in Direct Provision to come together and to cook for their families, giving them the opportunity to feed their children culturally appropriate food. Cooking for your family is a precious gift that is rarely had in Direct Provision.
Due to the donations and the generosity of others, this group of Asylum seeking women is able to cook for themselves once or twice a month. This project is in its early stages – cooking is carried out in borrowed kitchens with ingredients bought with your donations – but the benefits are multiple for the physical and mental well being of people living in these institutions.
If you want to find out more about Cooking for Freedom, you can find all the relevant information on their Facebook page here or on their website here.
Revived Yarn
Revived Yarn is a knitting community created by Elisabetta Mellis that aims to bring a little bit of help to people who find themselves homeless in Dublin during the harsh winter months.
How can you get involved?
Before you visit Woollinn, have a rummage through your stash for leftovers or the odd ball of yarn that can be of use to Revived Yarn. If you have more free time you can also volunteer to knit/crochet too by getting in contact with revivedyarn{at}gmail.com or via their Facebook page here.
Revived Yarn and its volunteers care a lot about this project and want to support people who are homeless in the best way possible. Every donation is a gift and represents the loving and caring thoughts of the volunteers which must arrive to people who find themselves without shelter.
For this reason, we want to ensure that all the materials donated are suitable for this scope – and we are asking that you have a read of the community’s rules for yarn donation below:
RULE 1: Weight
Any yarn weight is suitable, however, the majority of the free patterns will make use of DK, Aran, Worsted, Bulky.
RULE 2: Colour
Colours are nice, and leftovers are the best option for colourwork. Not all the colours are suitable – please do not donate sparkly/glitter, baby colours (pastel blue, pink, green) or white.
RULE 3: Material
Our goal is to warm people, so it is best to donate wool/alpaca or natural fibres mixed with acrylic. We can accept 100% acrylic if it is good quality yarn (no discount store yarn, no piled/untwisted/color bleeding yarn). We cannot accept chenille, velvet, ruffle yarn, or plant fibres (cotton, linen, bamboo, etc…).
RULE 4: Hygiene & Safety
Yarn HAS to be clean, in a skein or ball, not tangled, free from residues and hair. Check very carefully for any sign that may indicate the presence of moths (damage, larvae, eggs, cocoons, moths). Yarn HAS to be delivered in perfectly sealed plastic Ziploc bags. Bin/paper bags will not be accepted.
HOW TO DONATE
Bring your yarn along in sealed Ziplock / Grip Seal bags to the “Stitch Salon” area in the Woollinn Marquee and drop it off in the collection point.
