Crafting for Charity

Do you love crafts? Would you like to make a difference in the lives of others? Quite a few charities are looking for crafters to lend a hand with their creative skills. Your crafty skills would be welcomed and could help comfort others or help a charity raise much need funds.

Charities do look for volunteers who can create crafts that are needed to give to their clients, or to help raise funds. It is important to read any necessary requirements that the organization has about crafts to make sure that you are creating crafts that will be helpful. If you create items out of different materials or make items that are too small or too big, they may not be helpful to the organization.

Another way to find crafty volunteer opportunities is to visit Volunteer Match (www.volunteermatch.com) and to do a search for a volunteer opportunity. Try entering in your search categories that you are looking to be a “Virtual Volunteer” and enter in the keyword “craft”. These selections should help bring up lots of opportunities. The opportunities you will often find have time limits, or short term volunteer needs such as just for a holiday or a special event.

Here are three organizations that are looking for crafty volunteers year-round:

Project Linus (www.projectlinus.org) This is an organization that provides new, handmade blankets and afghans created by volunteers to children that are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need. There are now Project Linus chapters in every state. Many types of blankets are welcomed by this organization, from fleece blankets, quilts and crochet and knitted afghans. The website gives very specific information about what types of blankets it is looking for, so please be sure to visit and read their instructions in order to help the children in need. The website also gives lots of patterns and ideas to get you started.

Crafters for Critters (http://www.craftersforcritters.com/) Is an independent shop which sells crafty items. All of the profits from the crafts sold will go to help animals. The organizations they help alternate depending on the season, you can find information about which organizations are helped at their website at their Information page. Crafters for Critters accepts many types of creative crafts from handmade stationary, jewelry, clothing, accessories, pet items and even toys. If you love animals and crafts, this is a great way for you to make a difference!

Artists Helping Children (http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/) This organization is a not-for-profit organization which creates beautiful murals and art in hospitals, clinics and shelters for children. There are many ways artistic and creative people can volunteer to help. You can volunteer to draw or paint a mural. You can volunteer to help with a crafty project, such as making bags that will be filled with items and given to children at hospitals and other facilities. You can crochet or sew little teddy bears or dolls. There are quite a few patterns and ideas listed at this website to get you started on a crafts project. What a wonderful way to help children!