Edyie Stika, the owner of an Iowa knitting shop, estimates that in the past 35 years, she has donated 200 to 300 hats to local schools and non-profit organizations each year.

Sam Knupp, journalist December 12, 2021

Edyie Stika, the owner of Knitting Shoppe, is helping Iowa City residents stay warm this year.

Stika has owned a knitting store on Muscatine Street for 35 years. At the same time, she donated hats, gloves and scarves to local organizations.

“They can go to school, they can deal with domestic violence, they can go to shelters, they can go to Catholic workers — there are many places where they can be resettled,” she said.

Stika said that she was inspired to start knitting for her community in the 1980s when she heard about the national project "Children's Hat" and started donating her knitting work locally.

"I jumped on it. I mean, I like to do it," Stika said. "The demand is too great. There are many places in our community to put these hats. This is incredible. We can weave forever and never meet the demand."

Although Stika knits most of the hats herself, the volunteer weavers also brought their own donations.

"If they have extra time; if they want to knit some hats, then I will take them away at any time of the year, store them until winter, and then distribute them," Stika said. "...If they can't knit, I will teach them how to knit. They just need to come in."

Stika estimates that she donates 200 to 300 hats each year. This year, she has extra money.

She said: “Due to [COVID-19], the children do not go to school for a period of the year, so when they come back, I am not sure if the school really wants us to bring in anything from outside. So, this year, we have Lots of hats."

Shannon Hammen Miner is a senior expert in learning support for the community school district in Iowa City. When she first met Stika in 2015, she was working as a student and family advocate at Alexandria Elementary School.

Miner wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan that when working with students and families in the Iowa City school district, going to a knitting store to buy a box of winter clothing was a highlight of her.

"Public education is the commitment and effort of the collective community," she wrote. "Anytime, as a community, individuals come forward and work together, my heart will warm up and remind me of the importance of all the efforts I have put in to make Iowa City and its surrounding areas a place to grow together. "

Mina wrote that these donations benefit all students in the area, but have a greater impact on elementary school students when they go out to rest.

She wrote: "When your ears are cold and you want to go out to play in the snow with your friends, kids are usually welcome to wear a warm hat."

Alta Medea-Peters, Director of Community Engagement for the Local Domestic Violence Intervention Program in Iowa City, said that Stika's donation had a significant impact on survivors.

Medea-Peters said people who received help from the Domestic Violence Intervention Program told her that they were shocked by the generosity of the community.

"They are often told that they are completely alone and no one will believe them," Medea-Peters said. "Look at our community in a very real and tangible way through things like hats, gloves, coats, and all other things. The kind donations made to support our community provide them with hope that they are not alone and truly validate their experience."

Medea-Peters said that the Domestic Violence Intervention Program has been seeking donations and listed the items they need most.

"A donation like Edyie has two things to do," Medea-Peters said. "One is obviously a very tangible gift we received. The other thing is consciousness. The fact that more and more people are talking about the services we provide and using their voices to amplify the voices of victims is huge. "

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