Craft Hope Gives Hope to Gulf Coast

As the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico wears on, the catastrophe can feel so big and unwieldy it is hard to figure out just how to help.

We’ve already told you how you can donate hair and natural fibers to create oil booms, but as a crafter is there more you can do?

Step in Craft Hope, a “love inspired project designed to share handmade crafts with those who need them.” Craft Hope has already stepped in and helped with donations to the earthquake recovery in Haiti, collected booties, hats, and baby blankets for the Miracle Foundation and beanbags to the Liberia Orphan Education Project. And because the BP oil spill is so big and so massive, there’s no way Craft Hope wouldn’t have some way that crafters can help in the clean up efforts.

So their eighth project is to work with The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, the Audubon Nature Institute, and the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge to assist them in their efforts in caring for and cleaning oiled marine mammals, mostly dolphins, other marine mammals, birds, and sea turtles.

From their website:

Dolphins are naturally curious and have been swimming toward the oil plumes to investigate… and that curiosity gets them in a lot of trouble against the oil slick.

So the project presented to you, dear crafters, is to make hand and dish towels that the workers at the institutes will use to help clean the mammals and get them back on track.

The towels can be knit, crochet, or sewn but must be handmade. The towels should be hand or dish size and the workers at the institutes have requested that cotton yarn or fabric is best. Please no acrylic.

If this is a project that you would like to become involved with, sign up on Craft Hope’s website by leaving a comment. All donations are requested by July 3rd. For more information about the project you can read the frequently asked questions located on the same Project 8 page.

Currently over 300 people have signed up to make and donate hand towels and you could be one of the many more that can help marine mammals survive this horrific event. So sign up today and get crafting!