Quebecers knit, donate tuques to Syrian refugees

Quebecers have gone out of their way to coordinate, make and donate tuques as a way to offer a warm welcome to Syrian refugees.

Volunteers prepare to welcome the planeloads of newcomers

CBC News Posted: Dec 12, 2015 1:46 PM EST | Last Updated: December 14, 2015

Christine Rushworth knitted hats, tunics and neckwarmers from her mother's tunic for Syrian refugees. (Kate McGillivray/CBC)

As the first planeload of Syrian refugees landed on Dec. 12 at Montreal's Trudeau International Airport, Quebecerswere ready to offer a warm welcome.

Volunteers from across Canada have knitted thousands of tuquesafter the25,000 Tuques project was launched in Quebec inlate Novemberby Danielle Ltourneau.

Theinitiative was meant to help newcomers adapt to the coldas they experience their first winter on Canadian soil.

Here are some of the initiatives that have happened so far as a result:

Notre-Dame-de-Grce

The neighbourhood of NDG in Montreal helda knit-in Saturday, Dec. 12, to make tuques and collect donations just hours ahead of the first planeload of refugees landed in Montreal.

Volunteer Beth Sissons knits a scarf as part of the NDG knit-in Saturday. (Kate McGillivray/CBC)

Children were encouraged todo finger knitting andexperienced knitters helped volunteers new to knitting with their creations.

Lennoxville

When students at Lennoxville Elementary Schoolheard about the25,000 Tuques project, they thought it to be a good match for their classroom.

Student Olivia Bopaka said she was looking forward to presenting refugees with the tuques because they might not be prepared for cold Canadian winters. (Kate McKenna/CBC)

About 45 students at theQuebec's Eastern Townships schoolspent an afternoon earlier this week recyclingold sweaters into tuques for incoming Syrian refugees.

"When they come here, they're going to have nothing and it's going to be cold, so we're making hats for them," said student Olivia Bopaka.

Students, teachers and parent volunteers cut sweaters in two. Each half yielded a tuque. (Kate McKenna/CBC)

The mixed-age classroom,which is comprised of students in Grade 4, 5 and 6, has been studying the refugee crisis as its educational theme since September.

Montreal's McCord Museum

Volunteers spent a Friday afternoon at Montreal's McCord Museum knitting en masse to help keep Syrians warm during their first Quebec winter.

Volunteers at the McCord Museum knitted hundreds of tuques as part of a two-day workshop. (CBC)

Dozens of bins were filled with tuques by the end of the day.

The museum is also holding a second knitting workshop on Jan. 15. For those who don't know how to knit, organizers are accepting balls of yarn.

Grandmothers in Trois-Rivires

InTrois-Rivires, a group of seniors comes together every Saturday afternoon to knit for Syrian refugees.

Trois-Rivires is one of 13 Quebec towns that will take in Syrian refugees. (Radio-Canada)

The group of about 15 women from Chartwell Jardins Laviolette residenceknits tuques, pairs of mittens and scarves tohelp the incoming 70 refugees expected to land in Trois-Riviresby the end of February 2016.

"They are in need," said residentThrse Beaumier. "Us, we're so wellhere. We live in a country of peace."

"Because in Quebec, the only true enemy is the cold," is the slogan of 25,000 Tuques project. (Marie-Eve Cousineau/Radio-Canada)

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