Sew into tzedek

Around six months ago, graduate student Gittela Welcher started “Crafters United for Charity,” an organization that sells handmade art and craft items to benefit various tzedaka causes. Welcher, together with a team of volunteers from Queens, Long Island, and the Bronx, chooses a different cause to support every other month. The crafter took some time from her art to speak with The Jewish Star.

Brigitte Fixler: How long have you been interested in crafting and art?
Gittela Welcher: I’ve always been into arts and crafts, since I was a child. I would dabble a little here and there. When I was in high school I took Advanced Art, and in college I took a slew of art courses.

BF: What inspired you to use your crafting abilities to help others?
GW: Last fall, a friend had introduced me to a woman from iVolunteerNY – an organization that helps Holocaust survivors. The woman’s name was Sheva Tauby, and she was looking for photographers and videographers to do a piece on Holocaust survivors. I got invited to an event, and when I went there last fall I saw a showcase that had been produced for their organization and I heard different volunteers speak. I felt very much that this was something I would like to do—to use my artistic ability for something positive.

BF: What are some of the items that you and the other crafters make?
GW: We have a large slew of pieces, to peak different interests. We have photography, crocheted pieces, paper crafts, magnets, fabric crafts… We added jewelry about 3-4 weeks ago. All of our items are hand made, and nothing is mass-produced.

BF: How do you determine which charities to support?
GW: I pick ones mainly of Jewish interest, and ones that mean something to me. I only choose charities that are legitimate and non-profit certified. Until Oct 1st, the tzedakah of choice was Masbia, a group of four soup kitchens in the NYC area and a certified non-profit. Our current recipient is Tomchei Shabbos of Queens. I live in Forest Hills, and I wanted something close to home. This is something that many people in my community need. People can look like regular folk with nice clothing, but unfortunately they don’t have money for food. They’ve either lost their job, or have jobs that don’t pay well, or have a lot of children. Especially around the yomim tovim, people can need a lot of food.

BF: How can other crafters who want to make a difference get involved?
GW: They would need to be willing to contribute one craft per month, to show they are committed. They can be into painting, crochet, knitting, wood working- any sort of art or craft. We have no age limit for our crafters- all are welcome. Our crafters do not get paid, only reimbursed for their supplies. Crafters are not paid for their time, which they are giving as volunteers. The majority of what comes in is going to charities.
They can feel free to contact me via email: craftersunitedforcharity@gmail.com

BF: What are your plans for the future of “Crafters United for Charity”?
GW: Right now, we have approximately half a dozen crafters. We would like to expand into schools, so high school students can see there are multiple ways to do chesed. I want kids to realize there is a way to expand your horizons and use what Hashem gave you for something special.

“Crafters United for Charity” can be found on twitter (GW_CraftersUFC) and on Facebook. To learn more and to view items for sale, visit: www.ArtsAndCraftsForCharity.org