Hey-- I am currently working as a volunteer in Guatemala and have been asked to teach knitting by several individuals and am working on starting a class here. However, it is difficult to come by knitting needles (as it's not popular here) and am wondering if there is a way to get materials (more specifically needles, but yarn is always good too) for either a large discount or by donation. As a volunteer, I receive a small stipend every month, likely not enough to buy several sets of needles. And the folks that I am working with also don't have much extra spending money (the currency exchange here is 8 Quetzales to 1 USD), so even if they did, the conversion would still be expensive for them. I don't want to say no because of a lack of funding!

I suppose what I'm asking is this: Has anyone ever written to yarn/needle companies asking for donations for needles or yarn to give knitting classes? With success? Can anyone recommend the best way to go about this? Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

Jess