Since our shop opened in May 2007, Sue Jackson has spearheaded the Mother Bear Project at Knit’n From the Heart. Started by Amy Berman in Minneapolis, the Mother Bear Project has an international reach and is dedicated to providing comfort and hope to children affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations, by giving them a gift of love in the form of a hand-knit or crocheted bear. The simple gift of a hand-knit bear with a tag signed by the knitter has touched children with the message that they are unconditionally loved. Check out Amy’s website at http://www.motherbearproject.org/ to purchase the pattern and join the project. Amy requests a $3.00 shipping fee to defray the costs of sending the bears to children.
The Knit’n From the Heart group meets the second Monday of each month at 5:00 to 6:30 PM in the shop to sew hearts onto donated bears and lovingly “tag” them with the name of the knitter or crocheter. Some knitters and crocheters live too far to regularly join the group – but Carol from Red Wing, Dorothy from Hudson and others drop off their bears when they are in town. We've sent over 200 bears to Africa!
Check out the WCCO March 5, 2009 feature on the Amy’s remarkable story and the Mother Bear Project that has now 37,000 bears shipped!
Images of
the Mother Bear Project
