Charities


DFW Fiber Fest is pleased to announce that we will be supporting three (3!) charities at our 2012 event:  Parkland Hospital (finished items), The Prison Yarn Program (yarn), and the North Texas Food Bank (a portion of our proceeds).

Parkland Hospital (donated finished items)

For 2012, DFW Fiber Fest has chosen to support Parkland Hospital in Dallas with our handmade items.  Parkland has the largest neonatal intensive care nursery in Dallas, and approximately 16,000 babies are born at Parkland every year.  According to their website, they see nearly 400 people per day in their Emergency Department, have up to 650 patients admitted to the hospital, and treat up to 1,700 people on an outpatient basis.  Parkland is "the safety net hospital for Dallas County's indigent population."  They care for patients who are desperately struggling to pay for basic needs, such as food and rent, and who have no money for anything extra.

    What does Parkland need?
  • Knitted slippers
  • Pressure pillows
  • Quilts / afghans
  • Lap robes
  • Infant layette items - hats, booties, blankets, etc. (both full term & preemie sizes)
  • Stuffed animals

Parkland's 2011 Holiday wish list can be found here, but items are always needed, not just during the holidays.

The Prison Yarn Program (donated yarn)

The Prison Yarn Program began in the early 1990's when Sheryl Dial, a Dallas knitter and member of the Dallas Hand Knitters Guild (DHKG), became friends with someone who worked at FMC Carswell, a Federal women's prison in Fort Worth.  This new friend told Sheryl that she planned to start a knitting program to reward good behavior among the inmates.  From that chance meeting began a partnership between the DHKG and the prison in which the Guild collects and periodically delivers the donated yarn.  The DHKG then distributes the finished items among several recipients, including Parkland Hospital and various assisted living communities in the Dallas area.  Today, yarns can still be donated at Guild meetings but can also be brought to Holley's Yarn Shoppe in Dallas or The Knitting Fairy Studio in Grand Prairie.  While the prison cannot accept fine Crochet Thread (generally cotton and threadlike), they welcome yarns from fingering to super bulky in any type of fiber.  They even accept abandoned projects (no frogging necessary - send them as they are).  Please bring any yarn you have that is unwanted or unloved in your stash, and they will put it to good use!

North Texas Food Bank (a portion of our proceeds)

DFW Fiber Fest is pleased to announce that 50% of our door entry fee will be donated to NTFB, along with a portion of the yarn winding booth donations.

The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a nonprofit social benefit organization that distributes donated, purchased and prepared foods through a network of 300 Member Agencies and 1,000 feeding programs in 13 North Texas counties.  NTFB supports the nutritional needs of children, families and seniors through research, education, advocacy and strategic partnerships.  In FY 2011, NTFB provided access to nearly 33 million nutritious meals.  Founded in 1982, NTFB is a member of Feeding America.

  • $1 = 3 meals
  • 94 cents of every donated dollar goes toward fulfilling NTFB's mission; 6 cents goes toward fundraising.
  • There is a need for nearly 300,000 nutritious meals a day to feed hungry people in North Texas, equal to three sold-out Cotton Bowls every day of the year
  • NTFB provides access to nearly 90,000 nutritious meals a day, equal to a sold-out Cotton Bowl every day of the year.