I, like many crocheters, enjoy making charity projects. In the past, I would participate in charity crochet-a-longs online and ship my creations to organizations throughout the country and the world. With rising postage costs, more and more crocheters are looking for ways to contribute their crocheting talent locally. Luckily, it’s easier than you think to find local charities that accept handmade projects.
The first stop in your search should be your local crochet organizations and yarn shops. These groups may already organize drives for local charities that accept crocheted creations. By working with these groups, you’ll also have the opportunity to crochet with others, and you may be able to access discounted or donated yarn for charity projects. Your local crochet guild is probably a chapter of the Crochet Guild of America, and you can find a complete chapter list, organized by location, here. We also have our own list here. There are also several directories of yarn shops available online and YarnPlaces is a good place to start.
If your local guilds and shops aren’t involved in charity crocheting, several organizations maintain online lists of charities that accepted handmade donations. AllFreeCrochet has a list of organizations that accept handcrafted donations.
Before getting started, understand the requirements for your identified charity. While crocheting may be your way to express creativity, projects that do not meet requirements may not be used and may even be discarded.
Most charities specify fiber types, and others may recommend colors. For example, charities that provide winter wear to homeless people may request acrylic yarns in dark colors, while a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit might request cotton yarn in pastel colors for their premature patients. Organizations may even specify exact colors to use or avoid for cultural or other reasons.
Many charities are quite specific about project sizes as well. They may be seeking hats only for newborns or pet blankets that can fit into large crates. There are often detailed instructions for finishing, too. Ends may need to be left hanging or woven in for a particular length to avoid unraveling.
Once you know the requirements of your charity, you can pick out a project. Several charities have recommended patterns, but often you can choose the pattern as long as your project conforms to other guidelines. If you find it easier to make projects once you memorize the stitch pattern, you may want to choose one pattern, such as a simple scarf or mittens, to make again and again. If you are easily bored by repetition or want to challenge yourself to try different projects, you may find it fun to work through a book of granny square patterns. You can find great free patterns for a variety of project types on AllFreeCrochet.
Crocheting for charity is a wonderful way to share your love of the craft while doing something that benefits others. You can save time and money by donating to local charities. As long as you follow the charity’s guidelines, you can even express your creativity with each donation you make.
My son died in a local hospital 30 years ago. I make lap size Afghans. The week before Christmas I bring them to the unit he died in to be given to patients that don’t have any family visiting.
I would love to donate afghans of any size . I live in Ohio, close to Cleveland.( Olmsted Township) Any one know of any senior homes or similar places? Thank you
I live in the UK, I volunteer at our local Hospice charity shop. I came up with the idea of collecting any yarn that’s donated, I take it home, make things and then they get sold in the shop. Last year I raised £800.00 for the charity, I made jackets cardigans, jumpers and skirts and blankets. I am hoping to exceed that amount this year. I am retired so have plenty of time to devote to my crocheting.
I started a crochet group at my church called Needles for Needs. We meet the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month. We have made an honor blanket for the patient that donates organs at their death and the blanket goes to the patients relatives after they go into surgery for the donation. We have done preemie hats for a local neonatal unit, we have donated baby blankets to the local resource center for those in a crisis pregnancy, we are now making walker bags for a local nursing facility. We try to do a project once every two months to donate to.
Comfort For Critters is a nationwide group making blankets for shelter pets to use at the shelter and take with them when they go to forever homes. They have a list of shelters that accept blankets on their website, some patterns, a Facebook group.
I crochet for My Very Own Blanket for foster children. Knitted Knockers for breast cancer. Comfort for Critters. I have enough of my work and get greater joy in sending my work out to others.
I knit and crochet chemo caps for Knots of Love and just last year I started knitting monsters for The Monster Drop Project.
I belong to a crochet group in Northern Colorado. Currently, we’re making and donating: chemo caps — but the local centers are almost overwhelmed with caps and asked if we can make “infusion blankets” instead… it gets COLD in those infusion rooms!
We’re making red white and blue blankets for the VA hospice in Cheyenne, WY. Baby (and mom) hats and blankets for a place that helps impending and new mothers get a hand up.
Hats, blankets and scarves for the local shelters to distribute as well as contributing to various raffles, auctions and outright sales benefitting churches, schools, youth organizations and special cases (sudden losses due to weather, fire, accident, etc.)
We have been blessed by several generous individuals that have donated a LOT of yarn to us within the last year…making those infusion and VA hospice blankets possible – it can get pretty expensive if one has to pay out-of-pocket for the supplies!
I crocheted and donated 30 beanies for our local cancer center. My next project is going to be making scarves for the homeless, and lapghans for the nursing homes in town.
I crochet hats and blankets for the local Salvation Army Angel Tree. I’ve also sent hats in Samaritan’s Purse Christmas shoeboxes.
I do not have a charity that I crochet for but would like a few suggestions. I would prefer making smaller items but would be willing to work on larger ones.
Thank you, Diane
I have crocheted “nests” for rescue bird/animals as a beginner at crochet and enjoyed it. Look for an organization near you that can give you instructions — they can be sent all over the world. In Canada the postage is tax-deductible as a donation to charity (keep the post office receipts).
I crochet for a local hospital until COVID hit and they stopped taking donations. I now crochet for the Magic Yarn Project. We make character beanies and wigs for children with cancer. Being retired gives me a lot of time to crochet, but yes it is expensive to buy the yarn and ship the beanies. I typically watch for local sales on the yarn to save money on the yarn purchases. Can’t do anything about postage costs though.
I have been crocheting prayer shawls for my church which was started last year. I also make the chemo hats out of the eyelash yarn that makes it look like short hair.
I am from Prince Albert,Saskatchewan and have been crocheting for charity for many years.In past years I made 100 of baby hats and blankets for nurseries both here at home ,but also in Fort Myers Fla.Now,for the past five years I have been crochet and knitting scarves for the homeless at Christmas.Ihave donated one thousand scarves since I started, I am on number eight now for this Christmas.
I belong to a group at St. Michaels church on Williams Rd. Troy NY. We knit and crochet items for the homeless and a battered women’s shelter (hats, scarves, mittens for adult men women and children.) We also make lap robes for local nursing homes and a dialysis center. In the spring we make items for our annual Mother’s Day shower. Baby blankets and clothes for babies and Children up to size 5T are needed.
Items can be dropped off at the church office attention Crafty Ladies. We also welcome donations of yarn. For church office hours call 518-283-6110
I’m basically a beginner croch
I’m basically just a novice beginner at crocheting in fact I’m trying to teach myself, but would like to start learning to do a Prayer shawl & lap blankets to donate.
Does anyone know of an organization in the Fort Lauderdale area that would take lapghans for people in wheelchairs?
The American cancer society takes laggards. Ck with your local nursing homes.
Look up Project Linus. I donated my blankets to them since I moved to Florida.
Also Comfort for Critters would be a place you can donate to.
Petals of gratitude makes crochet roses for cancer patients to give to their caregivers. It is a wonderful feeling to give to those who are fighting for their lives.
My niece works at a nursing home and struggles to stretch the budget to find gifts for all the residents at the holidays. This year, I plan to help by making items she can gift,
like caps, gloves, scarves, totes, small afghans, as time and $ allows .
Knitting4Peace is an international organization that includes quilting and crochet. It is the umbrella organization for Peace Pods, groups of crafters who donate their handmade creations to charities in their local area. If there isn’t a Peace Pod in your town, you can start one! I started one in my small city 2 years ago and we have 55 members now. We donate handmade chemo caps, baby items, blankets, and more to our partner organizations.
I make lap throws for individuals in nursing homes
Just be careful when donating and check out the organization first. I am part of a knitting and crochet group and we do various donations. One year we did octopus for premies and a nurse picked them up they were never donated. Then we did soap sacks for the homeless, something very close to my heart. I was making as many as I could in a week. I think I did about 20 and this lady came and picked them up. I felt so great until the lady opened a shop and was selling them on Etsy. We reported her and her actions. Just be careful, people will find a way to take advantage of you.
I live in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. I also crochet for the homeless. I just recently discovered that the marginalized people like the long scarves as they can roll it up and use as a pillow.
Thats awesome Tamara! I crochet bedrolls out of milk bags for the homeless and I’m in Dundas near Hamilton. Next time I’m going to crochet a long scarf to go in the middle of my bedroll when I roll it up!
I crochet for the homeless too and I do hats, mittens and scarves in different sizes and colors. I put them in platic bags with notes telling people they are there for the taking and my friend and I leave them all over park benches and the downtown area of Bloomington, IL.
I am a recent transplant to Brick, NJ. My husband and I joined Growing Faith Church (https://growingfaithchurch.org/). I brought the idea of a Prayer Shawl Ministry with me from GA. At the present I AM the Prayer Shawl Ministry. If there is anyone that would like to support this wonderful ministry please contact me.
I live in rural Indiana. What organizations near me will take donations? I know about Rosebud – since I’m Nat. Am. that is close to my heart. But I’d like some that are closer to where I live (out in the sticks, no kidding.) Any suggestions? Thanks so much.
Operation Gratitude is where I make and send scarves and hats for our military and at times their loved ones, depending on which mission we are on in the year, e.g. Project Red (remembering everyone deployed), or bust your stash (for family and Christmas).
I crochet for 2 different charities… The first one is Project Linus and the 2nd one is Comfort for Critters. They both take blankets of different sizes, the first to children who are sick. The 2nd one gives blankets to animals that are in the shelters. You can go online and find out more about both.
I live in New Hartford New York 13413. How do I locate a charity here please?
I crochet baby cradles for bridgets cradles. These are given to families to hold their stillborn babies before they are laid to rest.
As a volunteer at Ste-Justine children hospital in Montréal QC, I have the opportunity to crochet baby blankets for premies and others with beanies and booties, crunchies for little girls, teens and mothers with long hair.
I also make chemo hats for cancer treatment centers of America where I am currently being treated.
Knots of Love is a national organization that accepts chemo caps. If you don’t want to mail caps to them, please use their website as a resource for making the caps. There are many free patterns. Some are knit and some are crocheted. They also provide a list of the best yarns to use for the caps. One yarn is Caron simply soft – very affordable
I crochet blankets for our local hospice and scarves for the elementary schools. I’m probably going to start working for the local Linus Project as well.
I make lap robes for Methodist Hospital in Philadelphia Pa. I make hats,scarves and baby blankets for the Rose bud Reservation
Knit and crochet scarves and hats for a charity that gives them to homeless and low income. Knit baby hats and crochet & knit baby blankets for local chapter Christ Child Society. Crochet & knit scarves for foster children that aged out of system giving them to local community college to hand out.
anyone know of any local charities in Harford County Md accepting doantions?
I love to crochet throws, laphgans, hats,and scarfs to donate but I don’t know where. Can anyone help in phoenix area?
Local hospital esp f they have a NICU …( pedi unit etc) . As a Nicu nurse we used the crocheted tiny blankets , hats even some preemie onesies. The kids grow so fast, we wash them and either save for the next baby orcsend home with the mamma ( esp if their resources are limited)
Our babies grow and have a challenging period while they adjust to room temps, so it is such a worthwhile very useable donation.
Hi Susan,
I love that you wash and use items as kids grow fast. May I connect with you to send items?
Contact the Lions Club in your town they may beable to direct you to a source. Several clubs donate to children who are undergoing chemo. I know several churches donate.
Warm up America. 7×9 blocks, crochet or knitted. Either you can donate the squares or assemble the squares together and donate them. I assemble the squares and donate to a church that makes beds for children coming out of the Noah Project.
What is an easy pattern for scarves for men and one for women or do you use the both. I am just starting and want to do it with the youth at church and anybody else that wants to help but youth in charge
Hello Jeanne! Feel free to browse our scarf patterns! https://www.ilikecrochet.com/category/crochet-scarf-patterns/
I enjoy making baby hats for Hope Pregnancy Center in St. George, UT.
They are grateful for each hat and allows me to use up small balls of leftover yarn and use them for different designs. I find it very rewarding.
Hello Dollie, my grand twins were recipients of your generosity. Thank you for blessing the babies with hats and love!
I crochet all year long for the homeless. Scarfs, hats, mittens, lapghans. This brings great rewards to me to help someone who does not have as I have.
Muriel
I crochet blankets for Comfort for Critters.
I have been crocheting Lap Blankets-AngelsSenior Living chair totes for two years now. I have 19 nursing facilities that I donate to periodically. I’m still crocheting as long as I have yarn do use. My funds are getting low so I don’t know how much longer I can continue my passion. I’ve made over 100 blankets and several totes. Everyone seems to love them.
What a great idea! As one in her senior years, it would be wonderful to crochet for those in senior homes and rehab hospitals. Thank you.
Put a small ad in a local paper or cards on post office bulletin boards that you need yarn for charity knitting and crocheting. I did that and got bags and bags of yarn people had stashed in their homes.
I made crochet items, hats, scarfs, baby blankets, towel& dishcloths and had a mini bazaar to raise money for our local food bank Loaves & Fishes in Nanaimo.Raised $1455.00 in sales and donations .They can buy $6.00 worth of product for each $ 1. donated. Best investments for your efforts to help feed the hungry. IMO
Lap robes for Methodist Hospital in Philadelphia.
Rosebud Indian Reservation
I belong to Delaware State Grange and we donate to hospitals and nursing homes. Baby blankets, laprobes,premie caps and shoulderettes.
How can I unsubscribe from the one I am in? Betty Barrows.
Hi there! We are sorry to see you go! Our customer service team can help you unsubscribe if you shoot them an email. We are happy to help! Thanks ???? https://www.ilikecrochet.com/contact-us/
I crochet blankets for chemo patients for free
I have been making simple beanie type hats and scarves and donating them to our local hospital cancer center. I remember very well what it was like to have no hair from having chemo treatments and not wanting to wear a wig all of the time. They take them with much appreciation and put them in a place so that the patients can choose what they like and take them for free.
I make hats for the newborn babies. Did not know some yarn shops would give a discount on yarn.
I live in an over 55 community and our knit and crochet group make afghans for children at a local special needs camp. They have a size requirement and gratefully accept anything that meets those specifications.
i crochet Prayer Shawls for our church and lap blankets
Project Linus is a National not for profit with local chapters across the country that supplies hand made blankets to children in need