A generous spirit is the thread that binds the craft community together, and we continue to take inspiration year after year from the many ways stitchers put their needles and hooks to good use by contributing their time, love and talent for charitable causes. Whether it's newborn caps for hospitals, winter accessories for vulnerable communities or blankets for pet shelters, we can count on knit and crochet enthusiasts to mobilize and work together to meet a need.
We love to recognize all the ways charity stitchers give back! Last summer we put a call out for submissions to be considered for our 2025 Community Spotlight. Between January and April, we'll be highlighting six local stitch groups that knit or crochet for charity and warm up the world in more ways than one. We're excited to introduce you to them and celebrate their amazing contributions.
Be sure to revisit this page as it updates with the featured groups! We'll be spotlighting two each month. Read on to learn about their work, their projects, and their favorite Red Heart patterns for charity makes.
clarkson stitch
Ontario, Canada

Clarkson Stitch has been a pillar of the Mississauga community for 11 years and began with a simple desire to connect. New to the city and in search of a local stitch group, Carmalina Balsano started her very own, with help from the local library and their senior librarian Lucy. The group has gathered at Clarkson Library every Thursday without fail ever since - through library breaks, come rain, shine or snow, and even found ways to keep the group connected throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns. Since 2014, the group has donated to a number of causes, like making sweaters for penguins following an oil spill, teddy bears for children in crisis, caps and preemie octopuses for local hospitals, and warm winter accessories and pet items for Comforting the Cold. More than just a collection of crafters, the group provides a close-knit community and support system to its members.

“We’re friends, family, and support systems. Whether it's new moms looking for a break, retirees seeking social interaction, newcomers to the country, or those grieving the loss of a loved one, our group provides a space of belonging.”

charity pattern picks
Looking for charity project ideas? We’ve pulled together the top Red Heart pattern picks from Clarkson Stitch to get you started!

crafters care
Manitoba, Canada

Crafters Care began when group of former colleagues transitioned their work-time volunteer hours to a retirement passion project after receiving a request for knitted and crocheted chemo caps. Many friends were brought on to fulfill the ask, producing an overwhelming number of caps that far exceeded the request. The women enjoyed themselves so much and saw a great need for items from other charities so they opted to continue, and a group was born. Crafters Care makes hats, scarves, mittens, shawls, afghans, lapghans, baby clothes and blankets for a variety of charitable / non-profit organizations including Chase The Chill, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, personal care homes, inner city schools, Villa Rosa, Palliative Manitoba, The Humane Society and many more. They also take partially finished projects and complete them, for a fun additional challenge. The group continues to look for opportunities to contribute and members are quick to get their needles and hooks out and get busy!

“The women in in our group vary in age but we have a few things in common; a love of crafting and a desire to make a difference and help others where we can..." - Marianne Niesink Heeb, Crafters Care

charity pattern picks
Looking for charity project ideas? We’ve pulled together the top Red Heart pattern picks from Creafters Care to get you started!

Friendship Collective Crochet Moms
Washington, USA

When the kids go to play, the moms will crochet! The Friendship Collective was created by a group of homeschool moms in Washington looking to establish more of a community for their kids through group activities, park meet-ups and sports. The gatherings were great for the kids, but they also offered a space of connection and bonding for the moms, who began to crochet to keep themselves busy while the kids played. The Friendship Collective Crochet Moms saw an opportunity to use crochet as a tool for outreach and channelled their love of this shared hobby towards making a positive impact on their community. They got to work making items like scarves, hats and lap blankets to donate to local homeless shelters and encampments, along with nursing homes and hospitals. They eventually taught the kids to crochet too, bringing the skill to a new generation and modelling how to use your passion for the good of others.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to do something we could all bond over while also helping to do a little bit of good for our children and our community with some of the projects we have done together." - Christine DePaola, Friendship Collective Crochet Moms

charity pattern picks
Looking for charity project ideas? We’ve pulled together the top Red Heart pattern picks from Friendship Collective Crochet Moms to get you started!

GRADS(Gifted Retired Active Dedicated Seniors)
North Carolina, USA

For nearly five decades, The GRADS (Gifted Retired Active Dedicated Seniors) have been stitching together warmth, kindness, and community service. The group began meeting in the 1970s at 4th & Grace United Methodist Church in Wilmington, N.C, purchasing unclothed dolls and sewing outfits for them to give out to children in need at Christmas. Today, the GRADS are a proud part of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), comprised of seniors (ages 55+) who knit, crochet, and sew handmade items for donation. While many members work on their projects from home, a dedicated group gathers every Monday morning at the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center to collaborate on community service efforts. Now comprising of 32 active volunteers, the GRADS have made a tremendous impact, donating an estimated tens of thousands of handmade items each year to organizations throughout New Hanover County, like infants, veterans, and homebound seniors who receive meals through the Home Delivered program. One of their special projects involved stitching up red, white and blue blankets for veteran patients at a local hospital. Last year they took on a new challenge: a holiday mission to create 700 ornaments to include in holiday meal deliveries, for an added touch of handmade warmth.

“Nearly all of the members spend much of their personal time knitting and crocheting beautiful items to be donated to various organizations around New Hanover County.” - Becky Doherty, New Hanover County Senior Resource Center

charity pattern picks
Looking for charity project ideas? We’ve pulled together the top Red Heart pattern picks from Gifted Retired Active Dedicated Seniors to get you started!

Keep me in Stitches
Virginia, USA

Thirty members strong and growing, Keep Me in Stitches has been sharing their gift with the Virginia Beach community since 2012. From Autumn to Spring, the group meets weekly at the Avalon Church of Christ to put their veteran knit and crochet skills to work in service of their community. The group certainly keeps their local community in stitches, through blanketing their donated creations across multiple areas of need and organizations! A variety of local charities and organizations have counted themselves as lucky recipients over the years, with infant and preemie hats to newborns, soft hats for cancer patients, lap blankets distributed to multiple adult care homes, along with extensive donations to veteran organizations and shelters and programs that serve community members experiencing homelessness. They've contributed hats to Title 1 elementary schools, give generously for Angel Trees during the holidays, and sent a phenomenal 453 crocheted squares, 160 hats and 1 scarf to Warm Up America last August. Their efforts came full circle when a cancer patient who received their handmade hats asked to join Keep Me in Stitches. The group has empowered her to reacquaint herself with the craft, providing an inviting community for her to re-learn crochet when her health is up to it.

“When we delivered blankets at a local Senior Living Home, three little helpers aged three, six and seven, went in to each resident’s room to hand-deliver the items. The elderly so loved our visit, especially when the seven-year-old asked if she could wrap her new blanket around the little lady’s shoulders. Involving the young with caring and sharing displays true love.” - Rita Bunner, Keep Me in Stitches

charity pattern picks
Looking for charity project ideas? We’ve pulled together the top Red Heart pattern picks from Keep me in Stitches to get you started!

Sidney Knitters and Crafters
British Columbia, Canada

The Sidney Knitters and Crafters have been meeting every week for the past 18 years, finding cozy corners in coffee shops, yarn stores, seniors' residences, and their current home base at St Paul’s United Church. Their dedication to weekly meet-ups is unwavering, regardless of weather conditions and whether the space even has walls. One summer the group found themselves without a consistent room to meet when the church was fully rented for summer programs. Undeterred, the church's front lawn became their new meeting spot for the rest of the season. The group’s nearly two decades in the community have allowed them to build relationships with multiple organizations eager to receive their donated items. Canada Comfort is among them, a charity that makes and distributes needed items to vulnerable people, both domestically and overseas in the developing world. Their knit and crochet projects are a big help in Canada Comfort’s other shipments overseas because they perform the same role as packing peanuts but are also useful goods long after shipping. In 2024, they donated 169 hats, supported those who were destabilized by the British Columbia fires, began distributing hats in northern Canada, provided hats to people fleeing warzones, and much, much more.

“The photo shows our most recent shawls awaiting the blessing before being given to local church members, friends of friends, and hospitals. A key member of our group reminds us that you don’t have to be ill or grieving to receive a prayer shawl — it is a warm symbol of connection, too.” - Betsy Rose, Sidney Knitters and Crafters.

charity pattern picks
Looking for charity project ideas? We’ve pulled together the top Red Heart pattern picks from Keep me in Stitches to get you started!
