Cancer patients experiencing hair loss while undergoing chemotherapy or other treatments often feel comfortable and stylish wearing soft hats. That’s why one Bay Area organization is making sure there’s an ample supply to go around.
Dozens of volunteers with Knitting Pals by the Bay spend their free time hand-knitting colorful cotton-based hats, which are packaged and handed out to cancer patients in hospitals, clinics and support groups across the region.
Recipients range from children to teenagers to adults. The group’s clients include the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Cancer Carepoint in San Jose, a longtime beneficiary.
Knitting Pal’s threaded creations are intentionally made with bright, vivid colors. Some have animal themes or unique crisscross patterns. Finished hats also include a label with the first name of each knitter, so recipients know a real person made it, said Knitting Pal founder Jenny Carp.
“It just makes them (the recipients) feel good—that someone really does care,” Carp said.
Researchers estimate that about one in four people will develop cancer at some point during their lifetime. More than 1.5 million Californians alive today have a history of cancer, according to the California Cancer Registry.
Carp, a knitting instructor, was inspired to rally a team of local knitters in 2001. She had made a cap for her friend’s sister who was undergoing chemotherapy in another state. After hearing how grateful the sister was for the gift, Carp said she realized how one cap could have a “positive difference.”
She recruited members of her knitting class to help make caps for Bay Area cancer patients and survivors. The first two cap deliveries took place in July 2002. Since then, Knitting Pals has donated more than 52,463 caps.
The organization now has around 50 volunteer knitters, with about half knitting year-round to help the cause. The majority of the volunteers are regional, but some come from as far as New York and Virginia. Carp and the volunteer knitters even worked to create and drop-off hats during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They have hearts of gold, they just want to help people,” Carp said.
Anyone can reach out to the organization and volunteer to become a knitter. Carp debriefs newbies about the types of yarn to use, the pattern and process for turning in the completed hat.
Knitting Pals asks volunteer makers to use soft, machine washable yarn products that are reasonably priced, which also keeps the projects affordable, Carp said. There are two main hat drop off locations in San Francisco and Berkeley.
Cancer Carepoint, a nonprofit that provides resources and education to Bay Area cancer patients, survivors and their families and caregivers, includes the handmade caps in clients’ care kits.
In a message to Knitting Pal sent last year by Carepoint, staff said the knitting team’s “kindness and generosity bring warmth and comfort to our patients, reminding us all of the power of community and care.”