Elementary school students knit scarves for the homeless

TORONTO –    Volunteers, students and  community members from Westcreek Public school gather every week to knit scarves for the homeless.

Between 50 to 60 students between grades one and eight attend the club each week and range in skill level from beginners to expert knitters.

“Words can’t really describe how proud I am of these students. I’m the student here because I’m learning so much from them in terms of just how patient they are, how grateful they are for what they have and how selfless they are to want to give back,” said Haykey Wielgos, a grade 1 teacher of Westcreek Public School.

The grade one students brainstormed the idea to knit and donate to small local shelters. The program was created to bring awareness to youth homelessness in the community. Parent volunteers outside of the school also participate to help.

“Watching these kids invest their time and energy and patience into learning a skill and creating something and then all this time knowing that they’re doing it for somebody else and giving it away. It’s nice to see kids doing something for  someone else and loving every minute of it,” said Cathleen Abe, a parent volunteer.

The students are also making new friends while using their knitting skills to help each other give back. The students are dedicated towards making the scarves to donate.

“I wanna make it extra special so I can keep them warm,” said Brooke Wallace, a grade 2 student at Westcreek Public School.