Here’s 1 Beautiful Way to Honor Military Families through Knitting

Knit for Prayer Shawls for Families of Servicemembers, and you can offer comfort to military families and honor fallen soldiers with prayer shawls

In April 2006, Robin Lambert felt the need to calm her mind during her daughter’s tour of duty in Iraq. She joined the many knitters who enjoy the meditative effect of our favorite hobby and joined her local prayer shawl ministry.

Her mission was to create prayer shawls for wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She then reached out to many other prayer shawl charities and asked them to consider making their own contributions to the hospital.

I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that the hospital received many prayer shawls thereafter! Prayer Shawls for Fallen Soldiers was born.

Recently, the group considered how their mission had shifted, particularly after Walter Reed was so overwhelmed with gifts for soldiers that they asked PS4FS not to send any more shawls. They now serve prayer shawls not only to individual military families, but also to the Friends of the Fallen at Dover Air Base, which periodically delivers shawls to visiting families.

The group now goes by Prayer Shawls for Families of Servicemembers to represent its shifting focus.

For more ways to knit for military members and their families, check out the collection of articles here!

How Prayer Shawls for Families of Servicemembers Cares for Military Families

Today, the group coordinates a nationwide effort. This effort connects military families with willing knitters and crocheters. The knitters and crocheters offer a measure of comfort and peace through their creation of prayer shawls. They do this through three different programs.

• The Direct Contact program allows shawl makers who know of a military family who could use a prayer shawl to submit the family’s name to PS4FS.
• The Direct Request program allows military families themselves to request prayer shawls.
• Finally, the Dover Program mentioned above is a specific annual drive that benefits the military families of the Dover Air Base.

How You Can Help Support Families of Servicemembers

If you would like to join the prayer shawl knitting effort, you can do so in two ways.

Option one: visit the Prayer Shawls for Families of Servicemembers website here. Click the button at the top right corner to join the mailing list. You’ll receive detailed information on how you can get started with creating prayer shawls.

Another option is to e-mail the organization directly at [email protected]. Give them your name, email address, city, and state, and let them know you want to be a shawl provider and receive their e-newsletter. They will then add you to their list, and you can learn more about how you can help the Prayer Shawls for Families of Servicemembers mission.

This is a beautiful opportunity to reach out to military families and honor fallen soldiers. I hope you’ll consider knitting for PS4FS!