"Nanaimo grandmothers put on giant yarn sale for international charity"

"A group of Nanaimo women gathered to sell some yarn – and tell some yarns – to raise money for women in Africa.

The NanGo Grannies held their giant fabric sale at Nanaimo Curling Centre on Saturday, Sept. 21.

Sue Creba, a committee member, said the grandmothers' group is associated with the Stephen Lewis Foundation and the sale is its major fundraiser.

"All year we collect donations from the public of yarn, fabric, notions, and then we resell it at our sale,” she said. "So it keeps things out of the landfill, it provides affordable resources for people who sew and knit and then we send all the proceeds to the Stephen Lewis Foundation projects and efforts."

Initially money was used to assist grandmothers who were raising grandchildren, but that has evolved, she said.

"We've moved beyond that now, and Stephen Lewis Foundation now funds community projects, a lot of health projects in Africa, a lot of issues around HIV-AIDS, a lot of issues around gender," Creba said. "They're doing a lot of good work, grassroots groups in Africa. Some are made up of grandmothers, but some now are younger people who are looking to help their own countries."

The group seemed well on its way toward raising $14,000, she said."

This article, written by Karl Yu, was published in the Nanaimo News Bulletin 22/09/2024