Knitting group in Roswell creates gifts of love, peace

Handmade items donated to various metro organizations.

A small group of women meet every Tuesday at Brookdale Historic Roswell, an assisted living center in Downtown Roswell, with one purpose: to knit the world into a better place through handmade gifts of love and peace.

After reading the book, Knitting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time by Betty Christiansen, Lynne Strobe started the group Knitting for Peace to address the needs in the local community. Knitting for Peace brings together women from around the city and state to make hats, scarves, blankets and more for a good cause.

“Knitting was already a hobby for so many of us, and now we come together to make a difference,” said Strobe. “As a group, we knit chemo caps, blankets for pediatric heart surgery patients, prayer shawls, mobility mittens for the visually impaired, scarves for foster children and so much more. The needs are endless.”

Over the past 10 years, the group has donated over 2,000 knitted goods to various organizations around Atlanta such as Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Foster Care Support Foundation and more.

Knitting for Peace is always seeking those who knit or crochet to join the group to give back. The group also seeks items such as soft, washable yarn, business cards, and safety pins to continue knitting for a good cause.

“When I look at what we have been able to donate, I can’t express how great it feels,” added Strobe. “It’s a good feeling and I am really proud of what we have been able to do for the community.”

In other news: Kroger customers and associates contributed more than $439,950 in Kroger’s 2016 Can Hunger campaign — and an additional $91,000 to a second initiative benefiting the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Additionally, Kroger’s annual “Bringing Hope to the Table” Knitting for Peace, kfproswell@gmail.com Each Tuesday, we write about charity events such as funruns, volunteer projects and other community gatherings that benefit a good cause. To suggest an event for us to cover, contact Devika Rao at doing.goodAJC@gmail.com. campaign engaged customers to help fight hunger through a photo sharing campaign, #PictureYourPlate. The grocery chain donated the equivalent of 1,000 meals for each picture to Feeding America. Kroger’s Atlanta Division raised more than $752,000 through Can Hunger and more than $192,200 from “Bringing Hope to the Table” for a total of $944,200, or the equivalent of 3.6 million meals to support food banks across Georgia, Eastern Alabama and South Carolina.

UPCOMING

DeKalb County’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration: “King’s Legacy of Peace With Justice for Our World.” 10 a.m. Friday. Free. Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur. Keynote address by Francys Johnson, state president of the Georgia NAACP and senior minister of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Pembroke and Magnolia Missionary Baptist Church in Statesboro. Johnson practices criminal and civil law with The Johnson Firm P.C. Attorneys and Counselors of Law in Statesboro. DeKalbCountyGa.gov, naacpga.org/ state-president.

Keepers of the Home. 10 a.m. Tuesdays, starting Jan. 17 to March 21. Free. Room 2440, First Baptist Church of Atlanta, 4400 North Peachtree Road, Atlanta. Topics for mothers and grandmothers. Child care is available. 770-234-8300. Register: fba.org/women/tuesday-bible-studies-tbs.