People with disabilities have a great deal of talent that can sometimes go unrecognized. Sometimes, all it takes is a keen eye and thinking outside the box to make something that seems ordinary, into something extraordinary.
The Ask
Jan Hopper, manager at one of the Hammer homes, recently asked for a volunteer to help with a slightly unusual request. She needed help unraveling a large amount of knitting, done by a gentleman (he prefers to remain anonymous) who is served by Hammer. This individual has a round loom that he uses to make long knitted tubes. His sister would then unravel the knitted pieces and roll them back into yarn balls so her brother could continue to knit on his loom.
More than Yarn
After hearing the story, Nan Bigot, from the Hammer Finance Dept., took a look at the knitted tubes and noted that they could easily be turned into hats! All that was needed was to finish the edges and add a pom-pom on the top! And the rest is history. Instead of unraveling the knitted tubes, Nan and her daughter have been finishing his work into knitted hats.
To date, forty-five hats have been completed and donated to Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners (IOCP) in Wayzata, MN. IOCP provides both emergency and long-term solutions around food and clothing, housing, employment, child care, transportation, and healthcare for people living in western Hennepin county suburbs.
Hammer will continue to donate these completed hats to people in need through IOCP. With a little teamwork, a hobby turned into a dignified way of giving back to the community.
Way to go Nan! A great story that demonstrates why Hammer is such a special place.
What a wonderful story. Nan and Jan are real gems!!!