Can We Make 1,500 Potholders? Growing Interest, Growing Need.
What started as a community project to provide hand-woven potholders for families picking up Thanksgiving food boxes has grown into something more. This week, when I was asked to have THXGPP support a local homeless encampment, I instinctively said yes!
This post shares the logic and the heart behind the quick decision for THXGPP to serve the houseless in honor of my deceased brother. It’s almost as if his memory prompted me to take a step further by expanding our reach to a population that’s too often forgotten.
The request hit close to home for me. My little brother was homeless for much of his adult life, and I immediately responded, “Of course, yes! How can we help, and how many are we looking to support?”
To meet the needs of the pantry’s regular guests and the houseless community, we now need an additional 500 potholders. Can we do it? I believe we can, and with your weaving help, we will.
Why Potholders for the Houseless?
Some may wonder: how can potholders help the houseless? They don’t have traditional kitchens, after all. The purpose of our project remains deeply relevant, even if the circumstances of the recipients change.
The mission of the Thanksgiving Potholder Project has always been to connect weavers with families in need, offering functional and beautiful gifts of care. Many struggling households can’t afford to replace basic kitchen tools like potholders, which act as personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling hot pans. But these hand-woven potholders are more than just tools—they are small works of art that offer comfort, joy, a reminder of human connection, and a sense of community.
When we distribute these handcrafted potholders to families picking up food for their Thanksgiving meals, we aren’t just offering them a kitchen item; we’re offering a non-judgmental gift of care, beauty, and community kindness.
How Potholders Can Help the Houseless
Houseless individuals don’t have traditional indoor kitchens. But that doesn’t mean they can’t use them or that they don’t deserve the joy and comfort that these handmade treasures bring.
A handwoven potholder, even without a traditional kitchen to use it in, can serve many purposes. It can act as a makeshift tea towel, a cloth for cleaning, or simply as a comforting token that says, “I see you, you matter, and there are people who care.”
A Gift Beyond Function
By expanding our reach to include the homeless, we are not shifting away from our mission, we are broadening it. Every potholder we give, whether to a family with a traditional kitchen or a person living without one, carries the same message: “You matter, we care.”
For the houseless, the value of a hand-woven potholder goes beyond its practical use. When given with a kind word, a moment of eye contact, and the warmth of human connection, it becomes a form of recognition, dignity, and care. A small piece of art that reminds them they are not forgotten.
Can We Do It?
The answer is yes!—together, we can. By weaving an additional 500 potholders, we can help ensure that everyone, from families struggling to make ends meet to those living without a house, feels seen, supported, and cared for this Thanksgiving.
Your weaving, your time, and your dedication will make all the difference. Let’s weave warmth, beauty, and love into every potholder, and let’s spread that care to those who need it most.
Together, we can make this happen.
Namaste
The pictures of my brother and me are in his honor and have been updated to include a potholder! He’d appreciate the attempt at humor.
