we do sorta the same thing here in the fall. Many young children go without hats, scarfs and mittens in this town. either the parents dont have the money, or they dont understand how quickly a kid can get frostbite. The little old ladies of this town have taken on the challenge. Each year they beg for donation of yarn. any color, any size. then they all take turns going to each others houses to have coffee, chat and catch up while they knit mittens, scarfs, and hats for the children of the town. They try to use school colors, but many kids want a personal pink or a nice blue so theirs doesnt look like everyone elses. They make small hats, large hats and ones with and without poms on the top.

Several older women had arthritis and couldnt manage the needles anymore. I took them 5 hoops to knit on. its a circle with knobs on it. I joined the circle a few times and sat with my circle knitter and it got their attention. They all wanted to know how it worked. I showed them all and 3 of them said if they could do that, they could come more often. So, I whipped out 3 from my bag. I found them at a clearance bill at a craft store. The bag was torn, or a ring was missing or the hook needle was gone kinda stuff. Very cheap. It kept 3 from leaving the circle and last year I found out 2 teens joined the group with their grandmas and are using the other two cause its way cooler than using old fashioned needles, dontcha know.

There is a lot we can do if we simply look around in our own community and ask what its needs are. There are boxes near the door of almost every supermarket to give to local food pantries or animal shelters. Just buy one can of dog food and drop it in the bin. Just buy one box of mac and cheese and drop it in the bin. it will make someones day.

its so nice each year to see the kids of the town running around with home made hats and scarfs on.