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This isa yarn about people giving back.

Volunteer knitters from Vancouver and as far away as Smithers in the Interior and even Seattle in the U.S. have donated 52 pairs of socks, one for every homeless person moving into a temporary modular housing building on Kaslo Street in Vancouver.

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“We wanted something of a welcome package, hand-knit socks,” Paula Lindner, a yarn shop owner and president of the Collingwood Neighbourhood House board of directors, said Monday.

The knitting initiative is a way to counter some of the negative feedback from area residents over the housing complex, Lindner said.

“There’s been controversy. We wanted to ensure the (homeless) people know they are welcome in the community.”

Another 39 pairs of socks will be donated to a similar housing project on Franklin Street as well as 39 hand-knit cowls to a women-only residential facility on Powell Street.

The socks are stretchy and come in a variety of sizes. Each pair took six to 18 hours to complete.

“It was a very exciting project,” Lindner said. “It’s touched a lot of people.”

lpynn@postmedia.com

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