Wool supply is looking thread-bare for Shediac knitters who help the needy
Group usually received 5 or 6 bags of wool every 2nd week; now it's 3 every 4 months
The founder of a New Brunswick knitting group is raising the alarm about a sharp drop in donations of yarn and wool that members use to make clothes for people who need them.
Dianne Peters founded her Shediac-based knitting group 10 years ago, when a handful of women attended a community event at the Pascal Poirier Historical House.
"We were asked if we could do something and I said 'well, we are only knitters,' and they said 'well, that is something,'" Peters told Information Morning Moncton.
The group now has 25 members who spend their time knitting and crocheting warm clothes and blankets to donate to the Shediac Regional Food Bank.
Last year, the group donated 30 storage bins worth of supplies for those in need.
"There are 400 families with over 700 children in need in the region that the [food bank] serves," said Peters. "I can't see us stopping, but if we don't have the supplies, then we can't continue."
Peters said the food bank provides the group with yarn and wool to create these products, but in the last few months those donations have begun to dwindle.
"In four months we've received three bags of wool, which doesn't go far… we were (once) receiving between four and six bags every second week," she said.
Peters said she isn't sure why the supply of wool and yarn has diminished so abruptly.
The cost of wool is expensive, she said, and without consistent wool donations, knitters in the group aren't able to take on their usual projects.
She said the group has enough wool to last them until August or September — but not enough for the next holiday season.
"If [people] can hear our plea, this is a real SOS. People are in need," said Peters.
She said items are all given to families in need anonymously. Once each year, families come into the food bank, one by one, to select items they could use.
In addition to accepting donations of wool and yarn, the group is welcoming new members keen to help with knitting efforts.
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With files from Information Morning Moncton
