Thanksgiving 2024 marked a significant milestone for the Thanksgiving Potholder Project, showcasing the incredible kindness and generosity of potholder weavers from across the nation. Together, we achieved extraordinary community-building accomplishments, demonstrating how small, individual actions have a profound impact.
A Season of Growth and Giving
This year’s project began with a goal to weave and collect 1,000 hand-woven potholders for distribution in collaboration with six food pantries. Additional requests came in to include two homeless encampments in Baltimore, increasing our target to 1,500 potholders. Along the way, inspiring stories emerged, highlighting the creative and generous contributions of participants, for example:
McLean High School launched a crafting-for-service initiative, challenging students to weave 100 potholders for the project. This inspiring project will be highlighted in more detail in a separate story/post.
AmeriCorps Community Mediation National held a weaving session, provided volunteers, and supported my time coordinating the project.
Potholder Pete Joined the Team! We received two potholders that seemed to send a message from my late father, Pete. Pete gave to the community through Scouts, donating talent in his profession and in so many other ways. When two potholders arrived, ‘Dad’ and ‘Turkey’, I imagined him enthusiastically supporting the project and laughing while joking about himself being a ‘big turkey’. Thus, Potholder Pete became our mascot. You’ll see Pete in many pictures.
Kindness Without Boundaries: Thanksgiving Potholder Project by the Numbers
In a year marked by national stress and division, the Thanksgiving Potholder Project brought people together, proving that compassion and sharing know no boundaries. Over just eleven weeks time, weavers from 58 locations nationwide shared their time, talent and contributed to this effort, resulting in:
- 1,895 potholders collected and distributed: an average of 172 potholders received per week.
- 8 food pantry relationships expanded or created where we participated in distribution and shared these gifts directly with families.
- 10 new volunteers who helped with weaving and distribution.
- 1 new mascot.
- Between 5,685 and 9,475 individuals served based on how pantries track or estimate family size, ranging from an average of 3, 4, or 5 people per family.
Glimpses of Distribution Days
Guardian Angel Food Pantry: A Full Circle of Giving
The Guardian Angel Food Pantry in Baltimore, MD, hosted both the first and last distributions of this year’s project. On November 8, we greeted individuals picking up food boxes for their Thanksgiving meals, sharing connection and the warmth of handmade potholders.
We returned on Thanksgiving Day for the community Thanksgiving Feast, distributing another 112 potholders. A special touch was a shipment of potholders crafted by a 13-year-old from Bristow, OK, which arrived just in time to complete the distribution. It was a beautiful way to bring the project full circle, reminding us of the collective effort that makes it all possible.
Bel Air UMC Distribution: A Heartwarming Stop
At Bel Air UMC, an incredible family of volunteers, aged 11 to adult, worked together to distribute potholders to 400 families passing through the parking lot to pick up their boxes. Using a shopping cart to navigate the bustling scene, we connected with families and volunteers, many of whom are also recipients. Our approach is simple: no questions, just a warm greeting and the offer of a choice of hand-woven potholder. Bel Air UMC averages 5 people in each family – that means we touched 2,000 people by sharing 400 potholders.
A special highlight of the day was a visit from a local talented weaver, who stopped by to drop off an additional 40 potholders for future distributions. In a fun twist, we discovered that we might even share ancestral connections—what a delightful surprise!
Back to Where It All Began: Burke UMC
Returning to Burke UMC in Burke, VA—where this project first began in 2021—was a heartwarming experience. We were thrilled to see our new weaving friends from McLean HS joining us as volunteers and to have a dedicated table waiting for potholders as the final stop for recipients on their journey to pick up food. A fitting way to celebrate how far the project has come, sharing the warmth of handwoven potholders with the community where it all started.
A Big Day at ACTC in Towson, MD
Our next major distribution took place at ACTC in Towson, MD, where Thanksgiving food bags were provided to between 600 and 800 families over two busy days. The star of the show? Potholder Pete, who quickly became a crowd favorite, adding an extra touch of joy to the event. Click on each picture to see the full scene.
Closing the Year at the Franciscan Center of Baltimore
The final major distribution for this year took place at the Franciscan Center of Baltimore, where over 600 meals were served as part of their culinary training program. To celebrate the aspiring chefs and dedicated staff, we set aside a special box of PRO-size potholders just for them. At the Franciscan Center, nearly everyone working or volunteering is also a customer, making the sense of community and mutual support especially profound.
THANK YOU!
To every weaver, volunteer, recipient, and supporter who made the 2024 Thanksgiving Potholder Project a success. Together, we created something extraordinary.
With gratitude and appreciation from Potholder Pete and me.
THXGPP@gmail.com
I don’t see the Dallas, Texas area marked as a spot “where the weavers are”, but it needs to be included. I have donated a box of potholders and I am in a Dallas suburb. Thanks for all the efforts to coordinate this lovely project.
Oh my! Thank you for letting me know. I’m so sorry that Dallas wasn’t included. We missed the chance to make you proud and showcase another location to the world. There are a couple of things that could have happened: Your potholders arrived after the map was created (most likely); Maybe the name of the suburban return address wasn’t recognized by the software (that happened a couple of times); I could have messed up by somehow overlooking the address (odd but possible); and sometimes there isn’t a return address on the shipments we receive, so we can’t include them (unusual and unlikely, but it happens). Since the map was a one-time fixed image, I can’t update it. However, I can’t THANK YOU enough for letting me know. You have inspired me to think about creating 2 maps this year – one showing this year’s contributions and another one showing locations from all time, as far as they can be re-created. Dallas will be in the historical map – and if you or someone else from the Dallas area contributes again this year, you’ll be in both 🙂 I hope this helps. Your contributions matter A LOT and should be properly included. Please accept my sincere apologies. I’ll work to make it right! Thanks too for your kind words and ongoing support.