Thank you and farewell!

Today I turned in the keys to the NestMaine post office box. The postal worker who was helping me with the paperwork said, "Wow, you've had this box for a long time!" It's true. I opened the PO box 11 years ago. Over those 11 years, Nest received handknit and crocheted clothing from all over the world. That's hundreds and hundreds of warm heads, hands, and hearts.

Before I say goodbye, I want to share a bit of information about just how EASY it was to get this project going. First, I went to the post office and opened a PO box. For the first few years all of the donations headed up north to the Ft. Kent area. I'm not from that part of Maine and I don't have any connections there. So, I called the local public schools. School secretaries and principals know their communities. They put me in touch with people in the community who knew the organizations (and the people) who would distribute the donations. One of the contacts had family in southern Maine. When she came south for visits she would load her car with our bags and take them back home.

As it turned out, that model wasn't sustainable. After the first years, I distributed all of the donations in the Portland area. I started by donating to the Portland Family Shelter, then added Greater Portland Health.  I also made a few deliveries to the Frannie Peabody Center. Every single time I walked through the door with a big bag of your lovely work, I got huge smiles and prolific thanks. Always.

Sadly, there continues to be a need for donations. If you are interested in continuing to contribute to those organizations, I encourage you to send your donations directly to them. The family shelter ALWAYS needs hats, mittens, vests and sweaters of all sizes, and baby blankets and baby clothing.  Typically, I brought mostly adult hats and mittens to the Greater Portland Health clinic. Frannie Peabody serves families and would likely be interested in any warm clothing. You can look up mailing addresses online. (I won't publish them here in case they change over time.)

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I could not have done any of it without you. Your generosity has been amazing.


Peace, love, and light to you all.
Jean