Who Do We Knit For?

Someone commented to me that it is a great thing we are doing, knitting scarves for the homeless.   Our mission statement says that we act as a community outreach for persons in recovery from addictions, abuse, or homelessness. So, although some of the people we knit our scarves for may be homeless, not all of them are.

Our volunteers knit our diversity scarves. Once the scarves are knitted, they are placed in gift packs which may also include knitted mittens and knitted hats, thermal socks that we purchase, as well as personal care items (soap, body wash, toothpaste, perfume, etc). In some cases we may provide jewelry and in other cases non-perishable food items and in still other cases we may provide items for children.

These gift packs are then donated to community organizations in HRM so that those organizations may give them to their clients as Christmas gifts. Sometimes, Last House on the Block Society is credited with donating the items and sometimes we remain anonymous. We leave that up to the discretion of the organizations who receive our donations.

In 2014, we delivered gift packs to 15 community organizations for a combined total of 190 donations. The organizations who received our donations were:

Margeurite Center, a longterm facility in Halifax for women in recovery from addictions or abuse.

Freedom Foundation, a transition house in Dartmouth for men in recovery from addictions.

Alcare Place, a facility in Halifax for men in recovery from alcohol, drugs, or gambling,

Direction 180,  a community-based methadone program located in the North End of Halifax.

Brunswick Street Mission, a community based organization seeking to help those in need. Some of them may be homeless.

Souls Harbor Rescue Mission, a home for the homeless in Halifax.

Shelter NS, an organization that helps men and women to make the change from prison living to community living. Some of their clients are homeless and they provide them with a home.

Laing House, a peer support organization for youth living with mental illness.

Stepping Stones, an organization that offers outreach and support to female, male and trans-gendered sex workers in HRM.

Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Center, a community based center that provides structured, social-based programming for Urban Aboriginal People.

Stewart Place, a supervised apartment building in Dartmouth for men, part of Metro Non Profit Housing. It offers safe, affordable housing.

Amethyst Apartments, a supervised apartment building in Dartmouth for women, part of Metro Non Profit Housing. It offers safe, affordable housing.

Feeding Others of Dartmouth, Margaret's House, a soup kitchen in downtown Dartmouth.

Among Friends Social Club, a community environment for persons living with mental illness, based in Dartmouth and supervised by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Club 24, a 12-step environment for people in recovery from alcoholism.

So, as you can see, we knit our scarves for people who may have been homeless, may currently be homeless, or may be facing the threat of homelessness. But we do a lot more than just that.

September Is A Great Time To Barbecue

September is a great month to barbecue. And one resident of HRM, Claude Garry, will be barbecuing on a Broil King Monarch BBQ that he won during our Labor Day Draw.

We would like to thank everyone who participated in this event. Last House On The Block Society was able to raise $315 during this draw. We also raised $87 from the dishcloth sale.

And last month, the Abenaki Aquatic Club raised $178 during their Fun Day barbecue.

We have a few other events in the works. We will keep you posted on those.