MLK Day 2024

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family. We’d like to pay homage to the great Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. As we all reflect on his great wisdom and humanity, we hope that you are all staying warm and safe amidst the cold front sweeping across the nation.


Plough Monday 2024

Happy Plough Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We hope that you all had a very joyous and restful holiday season! It’s a new year and we’re hitting the ground running. We’ve got lots of events and Stand Downs coming up, so please keep the donations coming. We’ll need hats, scarves, and lap blankets to meet the needs of the veterans and their dependents at these upcoming Stand Downs.

If you would like to donate a hat, scarf, lap blanket or other handcrafted garment to our cause, please remember that the dear veterans and their dependents prefer dark colors, e.g. blue, black, green, grey, and all-time favorite, camouflage. If you would like to knit, crochet, or sew a garment in a brighter color, red or deep purple are always popular bright colors. We cannot emphasize this important point enough: please do not use sparkly or overly decorative yarns and fabrics. While they have their place, they are simply inappropriate for the veterans and their dependents (including children because of choking hazards).

If you are not a crafter, but would like to help, there are still many ways to support our cause! Please consider donating materials and/or making a monetary donation to help us cover the costs of materials, shipping, and overhead.

If you need yarn, or other supplies, please contact us through email at thriveassociation@thrivevets.org or by phone at (469) 427-9654. Please be aware that any communications are recorded. If you have donations and cannot make it to one of our in-person knitting groups, we are still continuing our policy of curbside pickup. Please contact us to schedule a pickup if you are in the DFW area. If you reside outside the DFW area and would like to make an in-kind donation, please contact us to make arrangements. Remember, even one lovingly handcrafted hat or scarf can make a huge difference in the life of an underprivileged veteran or their dependent(s)!


Happy 2024!

Happy New Year, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family. Wishing you all the best for 2024!


Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We wish you and your loved ones a joyous and festive holiday season! Our offices will be closed until January 8, 2024, but if you are having difficulties and need to talk to someone, please feel free to give us a call. See you next year!


Armed Forces Bowl 2023

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We’ll have a booth in the Veterans’ Village at the Armed Forces Bowl this upcoming Saturday, December 23. The event is being held at the Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. We’ll be there from 11:30am-2:30pm, so come on by and say, “Hi!” We’re there to raise awareness and donations for our cause. Our much loved wristbands, stress footballs, and t-shirts make for great holiday gifts that are both tax deductible and support our mission to offer a hand up to our nation’s underprivileged military veterans and their dependents! See you there!


Last Call for Donations for Operation Care’s Stand Down

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! Our long-time community partner, Operation Care, is holding their annual Stand Down this Saturday, December 16! This is one of the biggest Stand Downs that we serve. If you would like to contribute your lovingly handcrafted gifts to the homeless veterans and their dependents for this event, please reach out to us ASAP. This is a last call for any donations of your lovingly handcrafted gifts that you would like to contribute to help those in need at this event. If you are in the DFW area and have crafted garments that you’d wish to donate, contact our office as soon as possible to schedule a pick up from our staff. Don’t worry, any donations that are received too late to be prepared in time for this event will still go to future Stand Down events benefiting our nation’s veterans and their dependents!


Brrrrrr, December is Here and the Need is Greater!

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We’re now in December and our mission to offer a hand up to our underprivileged military veterans and their dependents continues! The need for more hats, scarves, mittens, gaiters, and lap blankets is even more pronounced during these colder times of the year. With your help, we can continue to provide the much needed warmth to our nation’s heroes while they are on their road to recovery.

If you’d like to donate a hat, scarf, face mask, or other handcrafted garment to our cause, please remember that the dear veterans and their dependents prefer dark colors, e.g. blue, black, green, grey, and all-time favorite, camouflage. If you would like to knit, crochet, or sew a garment in a brighter color, red or deep purple are always popular bright colors. We cannot emphasize this important point enough: please do not use sparkly or overly decorative yarns and fabrics. While they have their place, they are simply inappropriate for the veterans and their dependents (including children because of potential choking hazards). 

If you are not a crafter, but would like to help, there are still many ways to support our cause! Please consider donating materials and/or making a monetary donation to help us cover the costs of materials, shipping, and overhead.

If you have donations, we are still continuing our policy of curbside pickup. Please contact us to schedule a pickup if you are in the DFW area. If you reside outside the DFW area and would like to make an in-kind donation, please contact us to make arrangements. Remember, even one lovingly handcrafted hat or scarf can make a huge difference in the life of an underprivileged veteran or their dependent(s).


Crochet Patterns for Hats, Scarves, and Gaiters

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We hope that you had a lovely holiday weekend with your families and loved ones. We should all be thankful for the support and care of those around us and we here at T.H.R.I.V.E. are sincerely thankful for the efforts of all of our staff, crafters, donors, and partners in helping us on our mission to enrich the lives of the underprivileged veterans and their dependents of our nation. We may be coming to the end of the year, but we must remain steadfast in our efforts to continue to provide a hand up to those whom have given so much for our country! With this in mind, we are in need of more hats, scarves, and gaiters. Here are some solid, go-to patterns for those that wish to crochet their donations!

If you’re interested in crafting a simple, elegant, and dependable crochet hat, Lion Brand’s Easy Crochet Hat is a perfect pattern for your next project.

Red Heart’s Wavy Ridge Super Scarf is easier to crochet than it initially appears, weaving up quickly and looking good in any yarn colors. If you need a scarf pattern that is sure to please our veterans and their dependents, the Wavy Ridge Super Scarf is a time-tested hit at all of the previous Stand Downs that we’ve served for years!

Gaiters are a great way to craft a warm garment that warms like a scarf, but uses much less material and weaves up faster than most other options. T.H.R.I.V.E. Association’s own Worsted Weight Crochet Gaiter is a great gaiter pattern that is both solid and quick to complete. It folds in half as a double-layered neck warmer, or can be unfolded to cover the mouth and lower face for additional coverage and protection from the elements.


Knitting Patterns for Hats, Scarves, and Gaiters

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! If you need some inspiration on what pattern to use if you’d like to knit a donation, here are some suggestions to get you crafting:

For a solid, veteran-approved hat, the Red Heart Ribbed Knit Beanie is a popular pattern:

If you’re interested in knitting a scarf, a Garter stitch scarf is a no-nonsense, dependable garment that is sure to be a hit. Many knitters tend to overlook the Garter stitch scarf as a pattern, most likely because it is every knitter’s very first project. But don’t discount just how quick, simple, and effective straight knitting can be! Just make sure to cast on as many stitches as it takes for your scarf to be at least 6 inches wide and ensure that your scarf ends up measuring at least 60 inches in length.

If you’d like to knit a gaiter, the Essential 1 x 1 Gaiter is a go-to pattern that is both functional and fashionable for our veterans and/or their dependents:


Stand Downs are Coming & Donations are Needed

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family. We hope everyone had a wonderful and thoughtful Veterans Day weekend. With the veterans in mind, there are Stand Downs that are still coming up and more hats, scarves, mittens, etc. are needed to support the underprivileged veterans and their dependents on their road to recovery. Let’s close out the year strong and help as many veterans and their dependents as we can!

If you’d like to donate a hat, scarf, face mask, or other handcrafted garment to our cause, please remember that the dear veterans and their dependents prefer dark colors, e.g. blue, black, green, grey, and all-time favorite, camouflage. If you would like to knit, crochet, or sew a garment in a brighter color, red or deep purple are always popular bright colors. We cannot emphasize this important point enough: please do not use sparkly or overly decorative yarns and fabrics. While they have their place, they are simply inappropriate for the veterans and their dependents (including children because of potential choking hazards). 

If you are not a crafter, but would like to help, there are still many ways to support our cause! Please consider donating materials and/or making a monetary donation to help us cover the costs of materials, shipping, and overhead.

If you have donations, we are still continuing our policy of curbside pickup. Please contact us to schedule a pickup if you are in the DFW area. If you reside outside the DFW area and would like to make an in-kind donation, please contact us to make arrangements. Remember, even one lovingly handcrafted hat or scarf can make a huge difference in the life of an underprivileged veteran or their dependent(s).