Some 1,100 pneumonia vests were dedicated at the 100 Mile United Church on May 11, and it was noted that during the past 17 years, more than 11,000 vests have been knitted and distributed to third-world countries.
Canadian Food For Children (CFFC) has distributed these vests to villages and hospitals from Central America to Haiti and from equatorial Africa to Sri Lanka.
Although we think of the tropics as hot, the nighttime temperatures are cool enough that infants and children often get pneumonia.
These vests can make the difference between life and death, as they give the extra bit of warmth needed to fend off respiratory infection.
The project originally started in Merritt with the Roman Catholic Church and the Sisters of Charity. It came to 100 Mile House through St. Timothy’s Anglican Church in 1996.
In 1998, the 100 Mile United Church women volunteered to take over co-ordination of the project. Now, there are knitters from all over the South Cariboo and beyond.
Sadly, the pneumonia vest project has come to an end after this shipment because SFFC is unable to save space for the vests, as food has become the overriding need everywhere.
Local group spokesperson Andrea Martin says it was "very disappointing" news for a lot of knitters who have been involved for years.
"The vests are an easy project and knitting is something you can do when you're visiting, or when you're watching TV. You felt like you were doing something ... and putting something out there into the world."
Martin notes they have been in discussion with First United, a mission church in downtown Vancouver, about sending knitted toques and scarves for distribution at the church.