Helping hands donate to the needy
She has been knitting for years and has been donating her knitted goods to charity for the last three years.
Ella Niemann has donated boxes and boxes of knitted goods to the ‘Toys for Joy’ campaign.
Toys for Joy is an annual fund-raising initiative in which money is collected to buy Christmas gifts for underprivileged children in the Ladysmith area. Ella gave so much that the Ladysmith Gazette decided to find out a bit more about her and her passion.
She has been knitting for years and has been donating her knitted goods to charity for the last three years. She knits items such as scarves and beanie sets, toys like teddy bears and balls, as well as making booties and bags.
“I love knitting and helping others. God gave me a gift to make things with my hands, so I have to give back to those who are less fortunate. One cannot receive all the time,” she explains.
It all started when she was looking at patterns one day. As her knitting skills grew, it would seem that her heart did too. She has given to many organisations over the years, including Hospice. “It gives me great pleasure to help others. Some children have so little and to be able to give them something is a truly heartwarming experience.”
Ella has children of her own and nine grandchildren. She says that most of the children around town who know her call her “Ma” or “Ouma”, as most of them see her as a mother figure.
She would like to thank Derlon for their kind donation of wool. If anyone would like to donate, they can contact the Ladysmith Gazette for more information. Ella is a pensioner and so any help is much appreciated. If you have any old lace or buttons, sewing cotton or beads or anything that can be used in a creative way, she will use it to make something beautiful.
Ella says she has to keep her hands busy, so, as soon as she finished knitting the goods for the Toys for Joy campaign (which took her about a year), she started knitting winter warmers. What an industrious woman with a heart of gold!
