Our neighbours at Riverside Yarns shared this lovely story and and some opportunities for you to knit or crochet for a cause.

"Some weeks ago a gentleman came into the store with a Riverside Yarns gift card that he had bought and no longer needed. He didn’t come in to exchange it, nor did he want a refund. He simply asked us to keep it at the counter, to be used as needed by other customers.

Time passed, and it so happened that one day a customer misjudged the cost of her purchase. ‘No worries’, we said, ‘we have a gift card here for just this exact purpose!’

Last week this same person came back in and purchased a new gift card. She didn’t put it in her purse. She quietly gave it back and asked that it be left at the counter, to be used as needed by others.

In the spirit of quiet kindness, here are two local projects that our customers have brought to our attention:

Knitting for Neonates is a local group that donates hand-knit and crocheted baby garments to local hospitals. Right now there is a need for baby booties and mittens, as well as any leftover DK or fingering-weight yarn you might be able to donate. More information is available at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199000804679502/permalink/682236006355977/
Not on Facebook? Please call the store for the contact information.

The Elmira Knitting Group is looking for gifts of hand-knit socks for their ‘Socks to welcome Ukranian refugees.’ They will be donating the socks to a local Ukranian church for distribution. For more information, contact [email protected].  "

If you're just getting started or need support on a project, Riverside Yarns offers  Beginner Knitting and Beginner Crochet in-person classes  as well as in-person Knitting Project Support. Details of these (and a big upcoming sale) are on their website.