It鈥檚 easy to think the world鈥檚 biggest issues, such as the war in Ukraine, are far too big for any one person to do anything about. But Inge Raudzus knows better. 

She knows because she was once a child in a war zone whose spirits were lifted by items in a box sent from far away. 

Raudzus was a child living in Berlin during the Second World War, in what became East Berlin under Soviet occupation after the war. Care parcels didn鈥檛 make it to that part of Berlin very often; they were usually dropped in the west. But one parcel made it to Raudzus鈥檚 family near the end of the war. Among its contents were cans of condensed milk. With food being in extremely low supply, the parcel provided some much needed hope.

Raudzus鈥檚 older brother gave her the fist sip from one of the cans. 

鈥淲e got sicker than dogs because it was so rich,鈥� she said, explaining the milk was too rich for their empty stomachs. 

鈥淏ut it was worth it.鈥�

Now living in Vernon at the age of 83, Raudzus hasn鈥檛 forgotten how much a care package can mean to a child living through war, and with winter fast approaching, she鈥檚 kept her hands busy with the goal of keeping children鈥檚 heads warm.

Over the course of about a year Raudzus knitted more than 100 toques, and she鈥檚 donating all of them to Ukrainian children, to be shipped in January through the North Okanagan Valley Gleaners, which regularly ships food to less fortunate people around the world. 

All that knitting has been a major time commitment; with one small toque taking a minimum of five hours to complete, she鈥檚 easily put 500 hours into making the toques. 

Raudzus sources wool from wherever she can, making a point to spend her wool money at places like the Salvation Army Thrift Store. Though she鈥檚 always looking for a deal, she鈥檚 spent a lot of money out of her own pocket to make the toques. 

Raudzus largely taught herself how to knit. When she was young someone showed her a couple of different stitches and away she went. She has a long history of brightening spirits with her knitting; when her daughter was young, Raudzus knitted an entire wardrobe for her Barbie dolls, as well as a little blanket for a toy bed made out of a cigarette package. She says the doll outfits were much improved from the ones she made for her own doll when she was a child. Practice makes perfect. 

鈥淚 still have some of the outfits that she knitted for those Barbie dolls,鈥� said daughter Simone Snyder. 

Details of Russia鈥檚 war of aggression in Ukraine have come in a barrage of news stories since the war began in February 2022. Raudzus says she鈥檚 happy if her toques can provide some small comfort to Ukrainian children as the war rages on with no end in sight. 

鈥淚 can just imagine the children that don鈥檛 have anything and are cold,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been there, I know what it feels like.鈥�

Above all, Raudzus hopes her 100-plus toques will inspire people to stitch together the confidence needed to make a difference in the world, and in their own lives. 

鈥淚f somebody really wants to do something, and if you鈥檙e strong-willed, you will do it! And you don鈥檛 really always have to give money,鈥� she said, sitting on her couch next to stacks of her creations. 

Raudzus understands that people her age can be lonely or lacking in purpose. She鈥檚 found a purpose through knitting, and as for loneliness, she encourages people to reach out to others, like she did the other night when she invited her neighbour over for pizza and ended up having hours of conversation.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people my age who suffer from dementia, and we suffer from different diseases of thinking. But we should always try to 鈥� we can 鈥� still do stuff.鈥�

Inge won鈥檛 stop knitting after her toque shipment arrives in Ukraine. She has knitted one for her doctor, another for her pharmacist, and the next person to hold a door open for her may get a toque, too.