Quebecers respond en masse to knit tuques for Syrian refugees

Less than two weeks after launching a call to knit winter hats for arriving Syrian refugees, Danielle Létourneau has been inundated with responses and donations from people all over Quebec.

• Quebecer launches online knitting campaign to help Syrian refugees

The province will be welcoming 3,650 Syrians before the end of the year.

Létourneau launched the Facebook page 25,000 tuques, asking people to knit hats and write welcome messages for the new arrivals.

More than 7,000 people have liked the page and many are posting photos of their newly knit tuques.

The campaign has also taken on a life of its own on Twitter.

Groups of friends are also knitting together and posting pictures on Facebook.

"Spent the weekend knitting tuques for refugees. I'm on my seventh in four days," posted Heidi Jutras. "Every time I finish a tuque, I have a big smile on my face."

Létourneau has rented a post-office box in order to receive the hats and has also secured drop-off locations around the province.

And why tuques in particular?

"Each baby born in a hospital in Quebec receives a tuque. We feel it's only normal that refugees would also receive one as a symbol of their new life in Quebec," Létourneau writes on her site.

Tuque campaign sparks interest

Létourneau's group, 25,000 tuques, has inspired other knitting enthusiasts across Canada to get out their needles and balls of yarn.

A Facebook page called A Warm Welcome for Refugees was just created Wednesday night in Ontario.

"I was inspired by 25,000 tuques in Quebec to help out local refugees and thought we should do the same here in Ontario!"

"It's mighty cold here in Canada, let's all do our part and try to make this transition as comfortable as possible," the group's page says. "Who's with me!?"

Have you donated? Show us your tuques! Submit them on Facebook or Twitter, or email us at [email protected].