Knit For Food Knit-A-Long

Although the pandemic has been an extremely challenging time for all of us, I believe it is not without its silver linings. For me, one positive was how much extra time I got to spend with my daughter, Bella. She would normally have been off at college, but instead was cooped up with us! It gave us a much more intimate look at her daily (remote) college life, including her summer AmeriCorps position with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.

Food Bank of the Southern Tier food distribution

 
I feel so fortunate to have witnessed some of the work she was doing for the food bank, because it really woke me up to the issue of food insecurity. I had no idea that 12% of the population in my region is food insecure. And I never would have guessed that 41% of people served at the food bank are children.  Source.

If the pandemic has shown us anything, it is that the most vulnerable populations are hit the hardest in times like these. I have always believed in giving back to my community, and I am even more motivated to do that now, when so many people are in need. I want to harness the strength of our knitting community so that together we can make a greater impact!

To that end I am proud to announce the Knit For Food Knit-A-Thon!

What is a knit-a-thon?! It’s a knitting marathon. Yes, MARATHON! We are committing to knit (or craft) for 12 hours in order to raise money to help alleviate food insecurity.

100% of the money we raise will be split equally between Meals on Wheels, World Central Kitchen, No Kid Hungry, and Feeding America.

The knit-a-thon will take place virtually on April 11th from 10am-10pm EST. Throughout that time there will be music, knitting and crafting demonstrations, breakout knitting rooms, and speakers to educate and inform you. Don’t knit? That’s ok! Any craft is welcome!

If you want to knit, but don’t want to participate in any of the zoom programming, that’s ok too! Just grab your craft, your snacks, and get comfy.

So you’re probably wondering -- How do I get involved?!

There are THREE different ways you can take action:

1. Sign up to knit!  Reach out to friends and family and ask them to sponsor your marathon. 

2. Donate!  Your money can help give someone a meal.

3. Spread the word! Tell your friends, family, guild, LYS, and any knitter you know! 

It’s obvious that this is an issue a lot of people care about, because within 24 hours we had met our $10K fundraising goal! 24 hours after that we had raised over $20K! The goal is now $30K!! The power of our community is blowing my mind.

To learn more about the knit-a-thon and join in, head over to the fundraising homepage.

If you have questions, please read the FAQ page on my website.

If you’re interested in our media kit, you can find that here. 

Thank you to everyone who has already signed up, donated, or spread the word. We have strength in numbers and together we can craft a brighter future.

See you on April 11th!