November 28, 2005
NEWSLETTER #4             GRAMMA'S HUGS INTERNATIONAL

A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization…providing blankets free of charge to children.

Our Motto:
Every child deserves to have their very own special blanket.

Our Purpose: To provide as many blankets to as many children as possible worldwide.

Greetings…it is so good to be able to write you another newsletter!!! I do hope that everyone is well and getting ready for their holiday festivities with family and friends.

I am presently preparing to distribute and send blankets for various nonprofit charities to use for Christmas 2005. Because of the increased number of catastrophes both nationally and internationally, the local charities in my area are finding it difficult to accumulate enough things for the needy children close by me here in Sacramento/San Joaquin Counties. However, I have also added to those locally, an orphanage in Baja California, Mexico.

The major recipients for blankets and/or stuffed animals in blankets are:

Shriner Hospital Ronald McDonald House Children's Receiving Home St. Patrick's Foster Care/Day Care Center for Fathers with Families And the Orphanage will receive

50 50 90 66 11 95

I have some 80+ little stuffed animals and teddy bears that will be given to the younger ones of this group…These blankets are not being given to only babies and small children this year, but I am including all the children at any given facility so as not to leave any child out.

Because of this, of course, more material was needed. The larger young people must have a "throw" of a size that will cover their legs and can be used for lounging and cover when studying, relaxing or sleeping.

Since I last wrote to you, I have mailed two boxes of blankets and stuffed animals to Puerto Rico. They were disseminated by Dr. Magda Bernat (I met her in Spain last October) and the Altrusa Club of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The nice part about all of that is, of course, is that it is a US Territory and there is no duty, so can be mailed regular parcel post!

I also sent a total of 7 boxes of blankets to Santiago, Chile. A former secretary of mine from the ship I worked on (M/V AMERICANA), knew of an orphanage in Santiago, so I sent her some blankets. It turns out that the person in charge of giving out the blankets is an old high school chum of Cecilia's, and she works for the American Embassy in Santiago, Chile, sorting out charitable gifts to various locations around the country. (Mostly food and money, she states, so the blankets are a treat). Monica Alcalde has contacted me about 300 homeless families living 20 miles outside Santiago, Chile, that have built lean-to shacks with dirt floors, no electricity and no running water. Since their climate is similar to ours (and their seasons are opposite - being in the Southern Hemisphere), it is Spring coming on to Summer right now, but they have neither the clothing or blankets for protection against the weather that could be below freezing at times. Disease and death, especially for the little children, is a constant, daily happening. Because of this, I made a group of larger blankets that can be shared by children and family members alike…making them twin bed size so that a child could sleep on either end - or several small children with the blanket sideways, or larger children and adults…

The 500 blankets for Indonesia are finished; eight boxes in all were sent and 11/24/05 I received word that the boxes have all arrived okay. 12 bundles of 5 blankets each = 60 blankets per box. These are going to Dr. Sara Marantika who is the husband of Dr. Chris Marantika that serves Indonesia. They have a Christian theological seminary in Banda Aceh, which was the worst hit in the tsunami in December 2004. I prepared these bundles of 44" cotton blankets folded in half & in half again; then turned and folded in half & in half again. They come out to a nicely folded, uniform sized item about 4" x 9" and I put plain and patterned lightweight cotton flannel blankets together with a ribbon and put a Gramma's Hugs

International card on top - making them like a little present. Mr. Chuck Wilson, from Partners International, came to my home to meet with me May 18th to thank me for the blankets for the Indonesian projects, and to see my "workshop"…(at that time it was my breakfast room. I have since moved to the front bedroom.)…their headquarters are in Spokane, Washington. They do a fabulous work aiding various parts of the world with a variety of supplies for everyday living.

I have talked with mission project personnel from areas we have sent blankets that have promised me pictures. I am still struggling to get pictures from the Kenya project and the Guatemala and Mexico projects from last year. As soon as I get some I will put them on our newly produced website. (should be finished mid December 2005) The website address is: www.grammashugs.org

A special group of boxes was collected and sent to the aid of Katrina Evacuees this late Summer and Fall. I just sent the last of over 15+ boxes last month. It had cleaning supplies in it. I sent not only small cotton blankets (that area is very humid year round), but sent personal toiletries, underclothing, shirts, trousers, socks, toilet paper, Kleenex, soaps…I even cut up large towels and sheets that I had and made children's personal linen packages that included a small towel, wash cloth to match; a sheet, a cotton blanket and some soap, toothbrush and toothpaste. I sent boxes of small stuffed animals as well and one box of color books, crayons, pencils, tablets, storybooks and puzzle books…the children have nothing and lots of time on their hands. I figured this would help some of them to think about something besides the trauma they are suffering. I have a sister-in-law in Shreveport, Louisiana, whose daughter and two granddaughters live in Shreveport as well. I sent everything to her and she took it to her church (who had opened up their entire church plant to be a cafeteria, shelter and distribution center.) Christy Little, my sister-in-law, worked anywhere from 8-16 hours a day for about 6 weeks or so straight…the demand was so great and the needs so great and the facilities so lacking in materials to supply to everyone. What an undertaking!!! I feel like everything I sent got to the right people this way…and I want to thank Christy and her girls, so much, for taking care of this for us!

Mr. Pete Wick, in Lodi, California, is still shipping all our boxes and has also provided me with boxes to pack things in. This is such a blessing and boost to the project as well. His wife Linda uses all her coupons to buy materials for me for the blankets, which is so wonderful. This couple is such a total blessing to me in this project. I am, at this moment, completely out of materials to make blankets with.

Gramma's Hugs International had a booth at the Dickens Faire, held here in Elk Grove, Saturday, November 26th, 2005. Amy Richesin, our Secy/Treas helped with the project; Suzanne and Raechel Brown (with Derek), came and helped me set up and clean up!!! What great help! It was so cold, we nearly froze to death!!! Fun fur trimmed gloves and bears with blankets is what we sold, mostly, but distributed brochures and talked about GHI…We sold $370 worth of goods -after expenses $300 was put into the bank account. This is great!

In the meantime, I want to thank everyone that has given to the effort and for the continued encouragement and prayers and best wishes of friends and family in my efforts to provide some measure of comfort, love and security to children everywhere. And if you know of someone - somewhere - that could use blankets for their orphanage, crisis center or shelter - foster homes and children's homes alike - please let me know so that I can contact them and find out their needs and set up a schedule to provide blankets for them!

If you know a group that would be interested in a presentation or brochures about the organization, please contact me immediately so I can get in touch with them or send out the materials. Thank you, again, for all your support and thoughts.!!!

Hugs to everyone!

Shirley J. King

Gramma's Hugs International
8652 Elk Way
Elk Grove, CA 95624