On a recent sunny afternoon in Taloyoak, Nunavut, a women's group gathered at the local elders centre to unpack a parcel that had been shipped to them from a stranger in Calgary. Together, the women of all ages opened the box, pulling out soft balls of yarn and swaths of printed fabric.
The materials were greatly appreciated in the tiny northern community, where common art supplies are often hard to get. According to a member of the group, the women hold sewing sessions at the elders centre, and will be using the shipped materials to create unique crafts.
The women are part of a Facebook group that is helping Canadians foster new bonds with families living in remote northern communities through a shared love of knitting, sewing and beading.
(Photo courtesy Shanon Kerr / Craft Supplies for the North, Facebook group)
The Facebook group "Craft Supplies for the North" allows residents living in Northern Canada to post requests for crafting and art supplies they'd like to receive.
Members of the group living in the south respond to the requests, fill the orders and ship the materials to the families. No money is ever exchanged between members, with the people sending parcels doing so out of pocket.
Since its creation, the craft group has attracted more than 1,400 members, who have sent more than 700 packages.
Shanon Kerr created the group last January, after becoming involved with a similar group that sent parcels of food up north.
Kerr, who lives in Guelph, Ont., said she was inspired to create the group after seeing some of the handmade items that had been created by First Nations women.
"I've seen some of the work ladies do up there, the mittens they've made and parkas they've done," she told CTVNews.ca. "They've got a talent for what they do and I wanted to support that."
She said that although the group was initially created to facilitate the exchange of supplies, it has also become a way to share knowledge and cultural experiences.
"There's cultural sharing involved, where elders are receiving gifts and knowing that they're cared about by southern members," she said. "They're also sharing their knowledge of how to make traditional crafts with younger members of their community."
The group also gives members a peek at what life is like in Canada’s north, a place that remains unfamiliar to many Canadians living in urban centres.
Items such as sewing and knitting needles are commonly requested, as are children’s art supplies such as crayons, colouring books and markers. Then there are requests for more specific crafting items such as pieces of leather, beads, crocheting needles and embroidery thread.
Northern members often share photos with the group of what they end up creating with the donated items, while also taking the time to thank the sender.
"Here are a pair of slippers from the coat you sent. There were more patterns for socks too. Wool is the best thing to use up here, so it will keep feet pretty warm and cozy!" one member wrote to accompany her photo.
(Photo courtesy Shanon Kerr / Craft Supplies for the North, Facebook group)
Another shared photo showed a pair of mitts made from donated fur and fabric, made by a group member in Ulukhaktok, N.W.T.
(Photo courtesy Shanon Kerr / Craft Supplies for the North, Facebook group)
Other members share photos of themselves or family members, along with their requests.
One shared photo showed Qappik Attagutsiak, a 94-year-old woman who lives in Arctic Bay, Nunavut.
"Qappik is the most traditional living elder in the Arctic that I have met, and was bubbling with childlike energy and nearly constant huge smiles that really came through in her eyes," the accompanying photo caption read.
"She still fishes and sews sealskin into amazing mitts and boots for many people. Her craftsmanship is some of the best I have seen despite the toughness of working with sealskin."
Qappik Attagutsiak, 94 years old, lives by herself in a tiny space in arctic bay, Nunavut. The house is about 5'9 high...
Posted by Erik Boomer on Monday, April 20, 2015
Kerr said that she's received positive responses from group members, living in both the North and the south. Northern members feel supported in their craft and southern members feel like they have contributed to something positive, she said.
'An amazing feeling'
Group member Leata Brooks has sent five separate packages up north from her home in Sechelt, B.C.
After sending one of the first parcels, she received a message from the receiver, a mother of five, expressing her gratitude. Brooks was so touched by her message that she reached out to her, and the two have become close.
“She’s my Facebook friend now and we talk,” she said. “She was just so gracious, it just touched my heart.”
Brooks has become so close to that particular family that she's come to see them as an extension of her own. She’s sent them additional parcels containing sweets and clothing for the kids, and in exchange they've sent her photos of the crafts they've made.
(Photo courtesy Leata Brooks)
The 53-year-old said she wanted to participate because she knows from personal experience how much joy crafting can bring to one’s life.
She is an avid crafter herself, and says that her hobby has helped her cope with the emotional stress of having a husband who is in palliative care.
"For me, crafting is everything. It's my saving grace, so to speak," she said. “When you’re looking at your husband deteriorate in front of you, and I realize I can do something that is making somebody else happy… I just needed to grab onto that feeling.
“That’s what it is. It makes me feel good to be involved in something that’s so positive.”
