The snow kept falling and falling yesterday and if you are like me the snow has always been my cue to haul out the rubbermaid bin filled with all my wooly hats, mittens and scarves.  The temperatures are dropping and it’s time to bundle up! I remember when I was young, before heading outdoors my mom always dressed me in my snowsuit and would wrap me from head to toe like a mummy so every bit of exposed skin was covered.  I giggle now, but I did the exact same thing with our girls when they were young.

Those memories made me pause this morning… what if I didn’t have that rubbermaid bin to haul out of the cupboard when it got colder?  How could I have sent my kids out the door knowing they would be cold?  Have you ever stopped to consider something so normal in our lives may not be the case for others?  We have many families right here in Calgary that don’t have what they need to dress their kids warmly before sending them off to school.  Think for a minute about…

• a refugee family facing their first winter in Canada
• a single parent trying to make ends meet
• a family going through yet another month of unemployment

These situations and many more have left families here in Calgary with not enough to purchase the “normal” things that we might all have.  Knowing that has inspired me to start CommuKNITy Cares and the mitten ministry setting out to “Warm the Hands of Calgary”!  You can read more about that here, Smitten with Mittens!

CommuKNITy Cares is busy knitting and crocheting mittens to hand out to children in need this Christmas.  We hope every child receiving a gift through the Salvation Army Toy Hamper program at Glenmore Temple Community Church will also receive a pair of handmade mittens. We will be handing out 2000 toy hampers at our church this Christmas, so that means we need 2000 pairs of mittens!

I have been receiving new bundles of mittens every week.  Our current tally is 830 pairs!  I am so grateful for all the hands that have contributed so far.  Just think 830 kids will not have cold hands this winter.  I don’t want to stop there though!  Our goal is 2000 pairs and I have faith that we can get there.  It’s a big goal and we recognize that we can’t do this alone.  We need your help!

If you are a knitter or crocheter, please consider making a pair of mittens this year.  Use your favourite pattern or choose from one of the many on our website, Mitten Patterns. At the moment we are accepting mittens in any size or colour.  Completed mittens can be dropped off at The Salvation Army Glenmore Temple at 921-68th Ave SW, Calgary, AB, T2V 0N7.  Please call 403-253-1700 for available drop off times. You can also email me at [email protected] for other arrangements.

If the idea of picking up a pair of knitting needles sends you running, please take a moment and consider who you know that might be able to help.  Share this post with as many people as you can to help get the word out and give others the opportunity to join our ministry.

I would like to thank you in advance for contributing to CommuKNITy Cares and warming the hands of Calgary’s children!

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James 2:14-17

Blessings, Allison