The warm-hearted volunteers and Mrs. Anka have this year donated as many as 375 hats, 45 pairs of slippers, and 21 blankets. This was already the second donation of items this year. Every year, they carry out approximately four to five donations. A lot of time, patience, precision, and heart is put into the creation of each item, which is why this story deserves to be shared with people.
Mrs Anka wishes to highlight the important role of the volunteers involved, who are crucial to the realisation of such important actions. She would not have been able to manage all of this on her own. She says that one person is like a drop in the ocean, whereas more people doing good constitute an ocean of drops. We are aware of the fact that together we are indeed stronger and can achieve more. Everyone contributes their own piece to cooperation and heartfelt connection.
The originator of everything is Maja Štefančič, owner of the wool online shop Huda volna, who has initiated charity drives many times. Volunteers have thus made slippers and hats for premature babies, hats and scarves for children in paediatric wards, and other items to help people in need. The initiative to make hats for newborns was born in the Trbovlje maternity ward, where they were facing a shortage of hats that newborns need to maintain body temperature.
The response from the volunteers was immediate and very positive. Other maternity hospitals soon joined the campaign. As Maja could no longer manage the project herself during her fourth pregnancy, volunteers organised themselves in individual regions to collect the items, reject unsuitable ones, and then hand over the appropriate items to the maternity hospitals.
Mrs. Anka, who worked as a nurse in the dialysis department for 40 years, came forward for the Novo mesto region. I asked Mrs. Anka what had prompted her to participate in the campaign. She said that she was primarily motivated by a desire to do good. The inspiration for making the first 60 hats came from a post by another volunteer who decided to make one hat for each year of her life on her anniversary. Since Mrs. Anka was also 60 at the time, she decided to do the same out of gratitude for each year of her life.
She later did the same thing once more, and then she no longer counted caps, nor booties. As she says, the most important thing for her is that she can give and contribute to good, and the number of finished products is not important at all.
During one of the classes, the doctor mentioned to her that newborns often feel cold, even in their feet, so she started making booties as well. These were very well received in the ward, so she encouraged other volunteers to make them too. Some even started making blankets for prams.
Today, the initiative is so widespread that every newborn receives their own hat, and some also receive booties and a blanket. The hospital washes the products. They use them to ensure that newborns are kept warm from the very first moments of life.
The majority of the yarn is contributed by volunteers themselves, and some is also donated by people who don't know how to crochet or knit but wish to participate in the campaign. Caritas in Novo mesto and Mirna Peč, which are two groups operating under Caritas, also received some yarn donations from Caritas.
The caps are made of anti-piling with an ecological certificate. They are hypoallergenic and machine washable. Wool can cause allergies, and cotton doesn't provide enough warmth, so specially selected materials are used.
The initiative has expanded so much that volunteers have also prepared products for Madagascar, Rwanda and Ethiopia. In this way, volunteers brighten the first moments of life for newborns and their families. With their dedication and passion, they are co-creating a kinder world.
Andreja Bakšič Grozdina, 26 April 2026
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