Hello Maker’s Market Family,
My name is Kat Hirbod, and I am a fellow Maker’s Market seller. I’m part of the Junction Design Collective, along with my partner Claudia Haase, but my own business is called Kitchen Karma. A little about me: I’m a student, a chef, and a crocheter/knitter.
At the beginning of the pandemic, amidst lockdowns and suddenly being unemployed, I decided to start making scarves out of my own stash of yarn. I knew so many people who were worried about losing their homes due to being in the same uncertain position I was in, and I knew there was an even greater need for warm winter items for many community organizations across the GTA. So that year, I made and donated 20 scarves to a group called Love Supply Drive to use in their winter survival kits for houseless and low- income folks in the community around York University (where I’m a student). In the subsequent 2 winters, I’ve done the same thing, calling the project Karma Knits, and donating between 20-30 scarves per year to various organizations, including Native Child and Family Services Toronto, Streets to Homes, and at one point handing them out personally at Moss Park.
Recently, I’ve become acquainted with another crocheter, Emmanuella, who also crochets and donates her creations in a similar fashion. After chatting with her, the biggest barrier to our project is buying the yarn we need to make everything. So, we are trying to pool our resources so we can personally make 20+ sets of scarves, hats, and washcloths before winter. We also have 3 other Maker’s Market sellers helping us by making more handmade items and donating excess yarn. This leads me to the purpose of my letter! We want to expand our collection to include a list of items that could make life better for houseless folks. Our wish list includes:
Warm Winter Items – hats, scarves, mitts/gloves, socks, etc. oryarn to make them – any yarn, any colour, even small amounts.
Skin Care Items – lip balm, skin cream/lotions/balms, face cloths/wipes.
Haircare Products – shampoo, conditioner, brushes/combs.
Dental Hygiene - toothpaste, floss, toothbrushes.
Menstrual Products – tampons, pads, liners, cups.
***all items should be in new/unopened condition.
Kendra has kindly offered to keep a box at Maker’s Market for anyone to drop off donations starting in October. We will be collecting periodically from the store and will be aiming for a donation date of November 15th. If you have anything to donate after that date, we will continue collecting them for another donation in January. If you make any of the above items and wish to donate any of them to our project, I will be writing a blog about this project and would love to include a list of our donors. If you want to be included, make sure your donation has a business card attached, or you can send me an email at kitchenkarmainfo@gmail.com with your details. Thanks for your time and consideration. Even if you can’t participate, perhaps you can tell anyone you know who might be interested. That would be a big help!
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