Charitable Donations in France - help and info please

General Discussion
1

Hi all,


As most of you seem to have been here longer than me (I am just about to hit my second anniversary of arrival here) I wondered if anyone could help.


I have had more spare time since being in France and have gotten more crafty than I used to be. I want to stay busy as I enjoy it but my kids are all crafted out with various items of clothing, amigurumi toys and tatted bracelets etc so I wanted to make items I can donate to charities. I craft to a professional standard, having knitted for over 40 years, crocheted for over 10 and owned my first Singer hand-operated sewing machine at the age of 9 (just under 40 yrs ago).


It seems to me that France is not as 'charity focused' as the UK and despite searching under everything I could think of I came up with very little wanting actual items just a few providing financial donation links.


First off, angel gowns for premature and still born babies are big in the UK, it occurred to me that maybe the French see this in poor taste and deal with that soul-destroying event differently - maybe I am wrong. UK hospitals happily take blankets and items of clothing made for their tiny Neonatal ICU patients - is it the same here? Even the Dogs trust want knitted dog coats in the winter as they are apparently more practical than those with buckles and buttons - what about France with all its dog rescue centres full of unwanted pets?


There are of course the Cancer charities and Chemo units in the UK accepting chemo caps and blankets for patients. Even the quite amusing but useful charity giving free knitted - hmm hmm knockers apparently as temporary protheses. Oh and those post-natal nurses requiring knitted/crocheted boobies for breastfeeding tutorials - but what about France?


I really cannot find much and feel that I may end up sending stuff over to the UK which quite frankly seems to have enough volunteers providing these items anyway.


Can anyone point me in the right direction here? Or even to a neighbouring country requiring such items knitted/crochet or sewn that I can provide? My fingers are twitching and you know what they say about idle hands!! ;-)

2

Thanks Brian. A bit sad though in terms of choices eh? I may end up just sending it back to a charity in the UK.

Seems such a shame. I did think that France was not as open to infant born 'sleeping' as they say. I really fancied doing something for animals. Well, shall see what the croix rouge needs if anything otherwise I will be making character donkeys for the donkey sanctuary in devon in time for them for crimbo.

Thanks again. :-)

3

It is all a bit 'hidden'. Find your local Croix Rouge. They take in stuff for several purposes including possibly what you intend.

I was at the pharmacy this afternoon, so asked one of the women who knows these things about the angel gowns. There is still a tendency to remove those babies discretely and prepare them for funeral in hospital, given the three days rule from 'decease' (point of birth presumably) maximum until burial or cremation I don't think this is yet a society ready for them.