Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! Please keep your donations coming for the upcoming Stand Down events starting in September. The expected turnouts of underprivileged veterans and their dependents are even larger than last year at these Stand Downs and we need your support! Also, remember to follow these simple guidelines when crafting a garment for our veterans and their dependents:

As crafters, it is sometimes tempting to use flashy colored yarns/textiles, color work, and fancy stitches in our crafted goods. However, these qualities are by and large not desired by the community that we serve. These proud individuals tend to prefer darker colors and straight-to-the-point garments. We want to provide them with what they need. The vast majority want either straight camouflage or solid blacks, blues, greens, grays, reds, and royal purples. If you have your heart set on practicing your color work, then sports team colors are always a fan favorite.

When you donate your handcrafted gifts to T.H.R.I.V.E. Association for us to disseminate at VA Stand Downs, the veterans and their dependents are ultimately the ones who chose what they will accept. Please understand that we are not trying to be persnickety or impose arbitrary rules. Over the years, we have witnessed numerous instances at Stand Downs where veterans would rather leave empty handed (in freezing temperatures no less) than accept garments that they deemed were undignified. This is always so heartbreaking! Therefore, it is essential to always keep the recipient of every handcrafted gift in mind.

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We’re already halfway through August and there is a great need for more hats, scarves, mittens, gaiters, and lap blankets. Your crafted donations help to support Stand Down events nationwide that directly benefit our underprivileged military veterans and their dependents. Please send in your donations ASAP (or make arrangements to schedule a pickup with us if you are in the DFW area). The sooner we receive your donated garments, the sooner we can thoroughly process them for the upcoming shipments to these Stand Downs. You can also make a monetary donation to help us cover the costs of shipping, materials, and overhead.

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! There are multiple Stand Down events coming up soon. Each of these Stand Downs are requesting even more hats, scarves, mittens, gaiters, and lap blankets than in previous years to support the homeless veteran communities that they serve. Please send in your donations as soon as possible (or make arrangements to schedule a pickup if you are in the DFW area).

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 have donations and are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, we are still continuing our policy of curbside pickup. Please contact us to schedule a pickup. If you reside outside the DFW area and would like to make an in-kind donation, you can ship your donations to us here in Dallas. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. 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 Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! August is right around the corner and there are multiple Stand Downs coming up! If you’d like to donate to support these Stand Down events that benefit our underprivileged military veterans and their dependents, please send in your donations as soon as possible (or make arrangements to schedule a pickup if you are in the DFW area). The sooner we receive your donated garments, the sooner we can thoroughly process them for the upcoming shipments to these Stand Downs. We still need hats, scarves, mittens, gaiters, and lap blankets for these Stand Downs as they are in the colder regions of the United States.

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 have donations and are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, we are still continuing our policy of curbside pickup. Please contact us to schedule a pickup. If you reside outside the DFW area and would like to make an in-kind donation, you can ship your donations to us here in Dallas. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. 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 Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We here at headquarters are super excited about the upcoming solar eclipse. We’ve got our noses to the grindstone, but our staff is going to take a moment this afternoon to step outside and enjoy this rare astrological event. We hope that you’ll join us wherever you are and take a moment to appreciate the eclipse. Please remember to be safe and take proper precautions, and of course enjoy! 

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We hope that you had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day celebration yesterday! The color green is a vet favorite and is always one of the top requested colors at every Stand Down that we serve. You really can’t go wrong when choosing to craft for our cause with this color. Also, green is one of T.H.R.I.V.E. Association’s main colors, as it represents growth and renewal. Our mission is to provide a hand up to our veterans and their dependents by gifting hand-crafted goods during their recovery from homelessness.

Happy Monday, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! May you and your loved ones have a safe and joyous 4th of July!

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We are currently hard at work in the crafting lab, and we’ve got lots of great new patterns and techniques coming your way in the coming weeks! We’ve got knitting, crocheting, and even loom patterns and techniques coming soon, so stay tuned!

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We hope that you had a very happy Thanksgiving! As you’re gearing up for the upcoming holiday season, remember that we have some of our biggest Stand Downs coming up. Please keep sending in your lovingly hand-crafted goods!

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. Please remember you can support our cause by shopping on AmazonSmile. See the “Shop for Our Cause” blog post for additional information.

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).