Hats for Hunger Brings Hope and Warmth
Help hunger with Hats for Hunger
Hats for Hunger is an extraordinary knitting charity. What makes it so special? Many things, but especially the fact that a nine year old boy started it up. We've featured articles about kids and knitting for charity before, but I never get tired of seeing how very young kids can make a difference in the world. It inspires me to keep knitting for charity -- after all, if a nine year old can do it, so can I!
What is Hats for Hunger?
Hats for Hunger is the brainchild of Andrew Castle, who founded the charity in 2008 at the age of nine. Andrew lives on a farm and decided to fight hunger the way he knew best: by knitting hats with his mom and little brother. Between the three of them, they raised $1,500 that year, and with donations from charitable knitters around the world, they've only increased that sum.
Hats for Hunger has something for everyone. They have hats ranging from $10 to $40, and accept donations of hats, yarn, and knitting supplies. No matter how you want to help out, you'll find something for you.
What your purchase does
Hats for Hunger works with Heifer International to provide families in developing nations with sustainable ways to help hunger. They are:
-When you buy a $10 hat, Heifer International is able to purchase a sheep. Sheep provide wool, protein, and many other benefits for struggling families, and do not take a lot of effort or money to feed.
-With a $20 purchase, you help Heifer International buy a flock of geese, ducks, or chickens. The combination of eggs and available meat adds much needed protein to families' diets, and the animals themselves can survive on scraps (as well as providing pest control).
-Strangely enough, a $30 hat buys a hive of bees. Why bees? Well, first of all, they can supplement a family's income by allowing them to harvest honey and the like. But more importantly, bees pollinate plants, which means that if you put a beehive in the right place, you can double the fruit and vegetable yield of an entire village.
-When you purchase a $40 hat, not only do you get a luxury hat made of the finest wool, you buy a pig for a family. Pigs grow quickly, have lots of babies, and can mean the difference between life and death for many people.
How to help
If this knitting charity appeals to you, check out www.hatsforhunger.com for more information (and to follow the entertaining blog about the family's crazy farm life!). You can work on knitting for charity by donating hats, buy gift certificates, or do all of your gift shopping in one place, secure in the knowledge you're making a difference. Help hunger one hat at a time: check out Hats for Hunger today!
