Wool-Aid items are beginning to arrive in Nepal for distribution. We have shipped 23 boxes to Nepal so far, some containing items specifically in colors for the young monks, and some in a full range of colors for distribution to needy children in remote villages and elsewhere. Not all of those boxes have been received yet — it takes a month, and sometimes much more, for our boxes to reach them. Additional boxes will be shipped to help warm the children this winter.

As new young monks are welcomed into the community, they have been given a warm hat, a sweater, and a pair of socks sent by Wool-Aid:

Heartfelt thanks for all your loving contributions for the young monks in Nepal!

Wool-Aid, Inc. has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities, and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.

Occurring this year on December 1, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) to kick off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in giving back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.

Since 2010, Wool-Aid has been helping children with limited access to resources who live in extremely cold places — Mongolia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tibet, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, India, Nepal, northern Canada, and remote areas of Alaska. We provide them with lovingly handknit and crocheted hats, socks, sweaters, vests, mittens, and blankets to keep them warm. All of our recipients live in locations that are not easily accessible, and therefore shipping is costly. Your generous donations make it possible to send warm, woolen clothing and blankets to the children we serve.

We invite you to celebrate generosity on Tuesday, December 1, and contribute to Wool-Aid. Your contribution will help provide children living in desperately cold environments with warm, woolen clothing and blankets to keep them warm.

Wool-Aid, Inc. is registered as a non-profit corporation in the State of Illinois and is recognized as a tax-exempt charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code (EIN: 46-5580013). All gifts to Wool-Aid are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Wool-Aid has established a new partnership with some very wonderful and dedicated people in Nepal!

Wool-Aid items will be sent to help a group of young monks at the Tendhar Lugar Choeling Monastery in Kathmandu, but even more of our Wool-Aid items will be shared with needy children who live in the area surrounding the monastery in Kathmandu and in other parts of Nepal.

Monks from this monastery have been very active in securing and delivering relief aid to people who have been affected by the earthquakes that first hit the area on April 25, 2015, with the young monks being very much involved in these relief efforts.

There are currently 53 young monks at the monastery, ages 5 to 15. At the Tendhar Lugar Choeling Monastery, the monks can wear mustard (gold), yellow, maroon, and brown colors. They wear sweaters and vests under their monks’ robes during the winter, and socks and hats are also much needed.

They would especially appreciate receiving blankets for older children and teenagers. Even in the summer, it is quite cold when they are sleeping outside in tents (as many have been since the earthquake, because of the continued danger of building collapse). They often sleep two to a mattress for extra warmth. During the more temperate seasons, the blankets help protect the children from mosquito and other insect bites in addition to protecting from the colder temperatures. Blankets for older children need to be larger than our typical blankets, so we are planning to send blankets that are 40″ × 60″ (or even a little bigger). That’s a lot of 10″ blanket squares!

Clothing given to children outside the monastery can be in any color, and we expect to send a wide range of sizes for them to distribute. In the weeks after the earthquake, monks from Tendhar Lugar Choeling traveled far outside the city to reach villages that had not yet received any aid.