Disaster relief needs your money not your knits

The times when handmade isn't always best

Photo by Geranimo on Unsplash

In the wake of the recent environmental and human tragedy in the US, again the calls pop up on social media for knitters and crocheters to send items to the affected areas. It seemed timely to dust off this article I published on Medium a few years ago.

Knitting can solve many problems, but humanitarian and ecological disasters are probably beyond it’s scope. Don’t get me wrong. As an avid (some would say obsessed) knitter I am a firm believer in the superpowers of knitting.

As Elizabeth Zimmerman said “ Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn’t hurt the untroubled spirit either”

Knitting can bring people together, can show people that you love them and can heal rifts. Knitting something with your own hands, pouring your love and energy into something only you can create is a magical process, and one not to be underestimated.

But sometimes all of that energy can be misdirected, often from the most altruistic of motives.

A few years ago the catastrophic bush fires in Australia saw appeals go out to crafters for knitted and sewn items to help injured animals in recovery centres. Pouches for orphaned joeys, mitts for burned koalas — the list was seemingly endless. And crafters stepped up to the challenge.

The lists were shared widely on social media and crafters all over the globe began production of these items, but this, inevitably lead to logistical problems. There was confusion over exactly what items were needed, what materials could be used and in the eagerness to help misinformation and rumour spiralled. And now — predictably — there are calls on social media for crafters to stop sending items, or to at least to pause while stocktakes are carried out.

No one doubts the inherent good intentions, but shipping items halfway around the world to fight an emergency caused by climate change is logically a contradiction in terms. The expense of such shipments (from the UK a 2 kilo parcel would cost approx £20 to send) alone is enough to make one question whether that is really the best use of our resources.

A £20 monetary donation would allow relief agencies on the ground to obtain whatever resources were needed in a complex and rapidly changing environment. Medicines, food, and other supplies are all desperately needed.

And yet, when these issue were raised on social media there was often a strange reluctance to send money. Common concerns were related to how the money was spent and that it might not go to where it’s needed, or more worryingly that it might not be spent on “the right things” — which opens up a whole can of worms about the psychology of donations.

Leaving the issue of money aside, the donation of large amounts of goods in whatever form invariably requires the time and energy of volunteers to deal with it. Donations must be opened, sorted, distributed (in some cases cleaned/sterilised) — all of which can be a distraction from other tasks. This is hardly a new issue. Previous disaster relief efforts have emphasised the fact that when it comes to donations “cash is king”. The clean-up operations after Hurricane Harvey were arguably hampered by the vast amounts of clothing donated — albeit with the best of intentions.

Calls for ‘penguin sweaters’ in response to an oil spill in 2000, off the coast of Melbourne resulted in thousands and thousands of tiny, admittedly very cute, penguin sweaters being made and shipped. But further reports suggested that very few were ever actually used. Such a heart-breaking waste of time, energy and precious resources.

It’s one thing for local groups to help, as they are best placed to respond quickly and in a manner that helps all concerned. Putting out calls over social media often has the effect of raising awareness but it runs the risk of a snowball effect, leading to a rapid overload of the relief efforts it is trying to help.

Simply put, donating ‘stuff’ might make the donor feel better, but it rarely solves the problem. Next time disaster strikes, why not put your needles down, pick up your wallet and donate — it’s quick, easy and you know your money could be doing good within hours.

This is No. 11 in my contribution to the 24 Essays Club, kindly hosted by

Claire Venus