3 Easy Ways to Donate Your Crochet Items

So you’re looking for somewhere to donate the crochet things you’ve been making? Maybe you’ve got a blanket or two sitting around. Or maybe quarantine turned you into a crochet machine and now you have a pile of stuff you don’t actually need.

Good news: there are a ton of places that’ll take handmade items. Shelters, hospitals, veterans groups, kids in need – they actually use this stuff.

Here’s a list of charities and organizations that accept crochet donations, plus some ideas for what to make if you’re not sure where to start.

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Where You Can Donate Crochet Items

To start things off, I thought I’d give a quick rundown of things that you can crochet for charity. Sometimes we get stuck on trying to figure out on whether to donate a blanket or crochet all the baby hats!

Items You can Crochet for Charity:

• Blankets – You can never have enough blankets!
• Newborn Hats – One more thing you can never have enough of is baby hats!
• Baby Booties – Sometimes little toes get really cold, so booties are always a good idea.
• Crochet Shawls – These are quick projects and can be given to senior citizen homes to wrap them in love.
• Soap Savers – These are easy little projects that can be made fairly easily, and when a full bar of soap is included, most charities love receiving these.
• Adult Hats – During the cold fall and winter months, these can literally save the life of someone who’s fallen on hard times.
• Scarves – There are tons of free crochet patterns to print that you can use to make a scarf to match a hat. These are lifelines for homeless vets and other low-income families.
• Gloves/Mittens – These can be made to match colors and complete a set of winter accessories for homeless veterans or their families.
• Bags/Totes – These can be made in all shapes and sizes, and can be donated to local schools for kids needing backpacks!
• Crochet Boobs – Don’t laugh! It’s an actual thing! These can be used to help new moms learn how to breastfeed their babies. Also, they are also used in reconstructions for breast cancer survivors! Read more about it here:

Okay, so now you’ve crocheted all the things, and you’re ready to donate your crochet items. Here are a few of my personal favorite places you can donate to.

1. Project Linus: –

This is probably my favorite place to donate blankets. They work with hundreds of organizations nationwide that provide blankets to kids in need – hospitals, shelters, social services, you name it.

Contact your local chapter to find out what they currently need and what donation restrictions (if any) are in place right now. Each chapter has slightly different needs.

2. Warm-Up America –

Another solid option. They accept blankets plus all kinds of other crocheted items – clothes, pet supplies, whatever you’ve got.

They stay up to date with local requirements and restrictions for donations. The cool thing? Even if you only want to crochet individual squares or swatches, they’ll take those and assemble them into full afghans. You don’t have to commit to finishing an entire blanket yourself.

3. Guardian Angel Animal Rescue –

If you’d rather donate to animals, this is a good option. They’re a non-profit animal shelter that places abandoned dogs into forever homes.

While the dogs are waiting for homes, they need blankets, toys, and other comfort items. You can donate your crochet work directly to them.

Check their website for current donation guidelines and any restrictions before you drop stuff off.

Bottom line:

These are just a few places that accept handmade donations. There are tons of others – local hospitals, homeless shelters, VA centers, nursing homes. Most of them will take blankets, hats, and other crochet items.

If you’ve got a stash of finished projects sitting around, someone can actually use them. Might as well donate instead of letting them collect dust.

Got other charities you’ve donated to? Drop them in the comments – always looking to add more resources to the list.

Looking for more ways to crochet for charity? The Community hub has patterns and resources specifically designed for donations. Also The Wounded Warrior Project is also always looking for donations. I was able to donate some proceeds from a crochet collection last year to these guys and it was awesome!