Some charities are solely dedicated to keeping people warm and comforted, which means donations like blankets, hats, scarves, and sweaters are welcomed with open arms. These items are all in a crochet artist’s wheelhouse, if you’d like tomake something special for these organizations.

Read about some national organizations below, and click the underlined text to view each charity’s website. Many organizations have specific requests for crocheted items and provide accompanying patterns, too.

Binky Patrol donates handmade blankets to children with illnesses, those in foster care, and other kids experiencing trauma. The binky blanket can be anywhere from three square feet to the size of a twin bed, and the website has a few free patterns to choose from as well. Click here to visit the website. Care Wear donates handmade baby items like hats, booties, blankets, mittens, and IV covers to hospitals in the US, Canada, and Italy. You can search for a hospital that’s close to you and see its wish list of items, either just sending the items you make to the hospital or calling the representative listed to discuss the projects further. There are tons of patterns on the website, which emphasizes goods for preemie babies. Click here to visit the website. Warm Up America donates handmade afghan blankets to people in need. It’s often homeless shelters, women’s shelters, and natural disaster relief organizations like the Red Cross that distribute these warm blankets to those in need. Children’s hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices also receive donations. WUA asks people to simply crochet and send in 7×9-inch sections, but it especially encourages people to work with family and friends to join the sections together and make a big blanket. Click here to visit the website. Operation Gratitude sends care packages overseas to deployed troops, and handmade hats and scarves are welcomed by this organization. Once Operation Gratitude receives your donation, it’ll be shipped with other items as part of a care package designed to bring comfort to and show support for our troops. Click here to visit the website. Pink Slipper Project, despite the name, accepts women’s and children’s slippers of all different colors. The slippers are donated to women and children in shelters across the country, in hopes of giving something lovely, warm, and handmade to those in tough times. Click here to visit the Facebook page. Hat Box Foundation donates handmade hats to cancer patients across the country. Hat Box wants each and every hat to be unique and made from the heart, and it encourages hats of all different styles, colors, and sizes for women, men, and children. Hat Box partners with hospitals nationwide. Click here to visit the website. Soldiers’ Angels is a veteran-focused nonprofit that has a special sewing team for crocheting blankets, slippers, catheter bag covers, and other items for hospitalized veterans. Join the Angels and you’ll get more specific information on what to crochet and how to submit projects. Click here to visit the website. The Precious Pals Program donates sweater-clad stuffed animals to local law enforcement agencies across the country, so police and other first responders can comfort children with the stuffed animals after a traumatic experience. Sponsored by the Knitting Guild Association, the program asks volunteers to purchase a stuffed animal, crochet or knit a sweater for it, and mail it to the guild. The website has a pattern if you need one. Click here to visit the website. Project Linus donates handmade blankets to sick children across the United States. Hospitals, shelters, and social service agencies all receive these donations, and you can search the website for a drop-off location nearest you. Project Linus simply asks that blankets be new, handmade, and washable. Click here to visit the website. Afghans for Afghans sends handmade hats, blankets, vests, and other goods to the people of Afghanistan. The campaign changes and focuses on different projects throughout the year (right now it’s hats, mittens, and knitted wool socks), and there is an info page that provides helpful cultural tips on what to include and not include in projects. Click here to visit the website.

Of course, donations to any charitable organization are gracious and definitely needed ñ we just wanted to spotlight on some of the places that focus on keeping people warm or specifically ask for crocheted items. Tons of local churches and charities also are looking for crocheted goods ñ click here to see what organizations near you need these items (courtesy of Lion Brand Yarns). Whatever the crochet donation, it’ll make a big difference.