Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Catch Up Time!

Hi everyone, 

I know it's been forever. The hats keep coming in, and going out, and I'm deeply grateful to all of you for sticking with it. I want to share with you some of the inspiring notes and photos I've received this winter. Enjoy!! The soldiers certainly are, you can all be proud of what you've done. 

(note: I've removed a few identifying names, but otherwise the letters are as I received them...)

A nice email:
Hi, my name is Meir C. I am in training now in the Tzanchanim brigade and I got the hat that you made in a package for Lone Soldiers. I just wanted to thank you for the personal touch that the hat adds. It really means a lot to me.
Thanks!

Here's another:
Ronnie, my son, has no email at the moment, but he has asked me to say a very big thank you on behalf of Gdud 603 in Handasa Kravit [Engineering Corps] for the great hats they received. Seeing as they are presently up North somewhere the hats have been very important additions to their fighting capability and chances of survival in the wild! I attach a couple of pictures showing the troops suitably adorned.




Yet another:
Dear Channah,
Here is my son, after I showed him his huge bag of warm hats to give out.  He was pretty happy, as you can see!
Thanks again so much!
T.


The young men in the photo below work in a very unpleasant job, combing the field for bodies and body parts after something has happened. Their commander asked me if he could have 60 hats to give the group after they complete a special training session. I was happy to comply, and you can see that they're pretty pleased, too.


The group sent me the following photo too, with fewer guys in hats but signs saying "we want to say thank you". The ones facing away from the camera are doing so for security reasons (they are not allowed to appear "in print").


So the hats are greatly appreciated. It's been a cold winter here, I've gotten lots of requests, and I receive and send out at least a hundred hats a week. Seeing as I've been doing this for seven years now, at a rate of over 5000 hats per year, I believe that together we've passed the 30,000 hats mark. 

YES! I'LL SAY THAT AGAIN.
OVER 30,000 HANDMADE HATS HAVE GONE TO IDF SOLDIERS SINCE THIS PROJECT BEGAN. 

My boundless gratitude and love to you all,
Channah

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