We support the following charities by making handmade beanies, baby jackets, children’s jerseys, blankets (knitted, crocheted and quilted), toys, teddy bears, angel blankets, booties, quilts, washcloths and bags.

Our three main charities are:

• • Thulababa
  • Khayelitsha Hospital
  • Victoria Hospital

Every year we donate 65-70 teddies and trachea bags to Red Cross Hospital for their Breatheasy programme. The ‘Breatheasy’ programme, run by Sister Jane Booth at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, is a specialized initiative designed to train and empower caregivers of children with chronic breathing difficulties, particularly those with tracheostomies or dependent on home ventilators, to take over the care for their technology-dependent children from the medical team at the hospital. The programme enables children to leave the hospital and receive care at home, improving their quality of life while reducing the burden on intensive care resources.

Here is a list of the organisations we have supported and what they received from us. Some continue to be supported on a regular basis:

• • Quilted angel blankets to the Sweetpea organization / False Bay Hospital.
  • Knitted angel blankets to various charities.
  • Fiddle blankets and adult beanies to Lotus River Old Age Home.
  • Beanies and jerseys to Cope with Hope, who serve Die Gaatjie in Diep River.
  • Beanies to Glenbridge Home.
  • Beanies to Our Father’s House.

Angel packs contain an angel blanket (knitted or crocheted), a beanie and a heart. These are supplied to clinics and hospitals for doulas to give to parents who have had the tragic experience of a lost pregnancy or stillborn baby. They are kept by the grieving parents who sometimes decide to leave the blanket and beanie with the baby and just keep the heart as a memory of this precious loss.

We often receive requests for our ladies to make items for other charities and, where possible, we try and supply what is required. If you wish to request our assistance to supply handmade items for a specific charity you are welcome to contact us on chandcraftclub@gmail.com.