In my community, there’s a wonderfully subversive knitting group, The Triad Yarn Guild, that donates hand knit hats and scarves to the needy– or even just the chilly. A yarn shop, Gate City Yarns in downtown Greensboro, NC coordinates the effort by collecting donations from local knitters. On Sunday mornings, volunteers spread out to decorate playgrounds with hats and scarves or visit downtown parks to hand out warmth and cheer. Each scarf or hat comes with a tag that says, “Please take this if you are cold, or if you like it!” This program of sharing warmth, called “Chase the Chill,” originated in Pennsylvania but has spread over the country.
What a wonderful, generous, and very practical idea– taking warm clothing directly to people who need it! I used to donate scarves every year to the Urban Ministry, but that organization has stopped accepting clothing. So I plan to donate to the Yarn Guild’s very next Chase the Chill event. It’s at truly heartwarming idea!
http://www.news-record.com/life/700650-88/chase-the-chill-art-charity