Handicrafts for a good cause

Help is needed in so many places: by people in need, social institutions and animal welfare projects. Support is always valuable. The donation concept for a charity knitting evening can be adapted very flexibly. For example, your knitting group can agree that everyone donates the same amount, already including the cost of yarn and materials. Or you can set up a donation box, in the middle of the table, at the buffet if you have one, or right by the entrance. There are many possibilities, and every creative evening can be shaped individually.

The proceeds from Gründl donation campaigns, including income from our staff sale and our charity knitting evenings, go 100% to the service organization Soroptimist Ingolstadt, where Martina Gründl has been an active member for many years. This year the donations are passed on to Inuka e. V.

The SI Club Ingolstadt works to improve the living conditions of women and girls locally, nationally and globally. Its goals include better living, educational and professional opportunities, economic independence and protection from violence.

Inuka e. V. focuses on supporting education for children in Tanzania. Many children there cannot attend school because their families cannot afford school fees. Inuka, which means "stand up" in Swahili, represents the path children can take when they grow up in a supportive environment. Since 2011, chairwoman Kerstin Klauditz has worked to give children and young people in Tanzania access to education by building schools, providing learning materials and training teachers. The aim is to make school attendance possible for all children and, ideally, later an apprenticeship or university education. Donations and sponsorships also help finance medical care and sufficient nutrition. If you would like to support Inuka e. V., you can find the donation account here: https://www.inuka-tansania.com/spenden

The full proceeds from Gründl donation evenings are transferred by Soroptimist Ingolstadt directly to Inuka. Last year, our campaigns were so successful that donations from Soroptimist Ingolstadt helped build a new group room for 20 kindergarten children in Tanzania. Moments like that are deeply moving, inspiring and motivating, because they show how much can be achieved with simple means.

Each of our charity knitting evenings is a special event full of warmth and creativity. What started with a very small group has grown into three to four evenings with friends and acquaintances during the run-up to Christmas. This group of committed people meets at Martina Gründl's in a cozy setting to be creative together and do good at the same time. With small snacks, sweet and savory bites, and warm or cold drinks, people chat, knit or crochet, and everyone can contribute a donation. In 2024 the concept was slightly adapted: a shared project and the matching Gründl yarn were selected in advance, a hat made from our Camello yarn. That meant all participants made the same product that evening, making it easier to exchange ideas from the start. Skill levels vary widely, and everyone is welcome, from experienced knitters and crocheters to people holding needles for the first time. Participants can help one another, support each other and share opinions. An experienced knitting designer from the Gründl team is also present each evening to offer advice, answer technical questions and help with every craft challenge, from a dropped stitch to a tricky color change.

Together with dear friends, you can enjoy a cozy, creative time and do something good at the same time. So why not organize an evening yourself? Invite your friends to a sociable creative get-together. On www.gruendl.com you will find many free patterns for knitting, crochet, felting and macrame, along with the matching yarn. Not all of your friends can knit or crochet? No problem. Choose beginner-friendly projects and show each other how it works. Once people get started, they often do not want to stop. And anyone who simply wants to join in, donate and enjoy the evening is warmly welcome too. Shape the evening in your own way and make it varied, so there is something for everyone. Round it off with snacks, sweets, a hot drink or a glass of sparkling wine or wine. A donation evening filled with creativity and charity is sure to stay in your memory for a long time. If you have already used your craft to do good or supported a social project with yarn, please share it with us. We would love to hear about your commitment and be inspired by your ideas.

At this point, we would like to sincerely thank everyone who helped make these unforgettable evenings possible. Your interest, participation and commitment made all of this happen. Your support is a great gift to us every year. Only by working together can we achieve something so meaningful and, in our case, positively influence the future of many children.

In our blog post "Christmas donations at Gründl" you will find more information about our social commitment.