GREENFIELD — Warm the Children, the countywide charity event that gives away new winter clothing to area kids in need, is completely funded through donations from the community.
But some groups have found a way to combine talents and donate more than money to the charity that serves 1,000 local children.
The Loving Hands ministry at Our Lady of Peace Parish is a group of knitters and crocheters who work year-round to create a variety of mittens, hats and scarves that they then donate to Warm the Children, so the families can pick out additional items beyond what is allocated for each child at no extra cost.
The group knitted and crocheted 318 hats, 87 pairs of mittens and 28 scarves for the 2016 Warm the Children, the charitable effort The Recorder, Wilson’s Department Store and Community Action sponsor. The shopping days for the family were held in September, and the women from Loving Hands have already started knitting and crocheting for next year.
“The next day, we were at it,” Beverly Petravage, one of the organizers of the group, said.
“The needles are always going,” Sandy Brodie, another member of the group, added with a laugh.
The women have done a lot of different charity work, and have been making hats, scarves and mittens for Warm the Children since last year. Robin Sargent and Rosemary Urgiel are the other members in the ministry. Other projects include making items for a local Relay for Life auction and knitting newborn hats for local hospitals.
The women feel a particular pull toward Warm the Children. Several have served as volunteer shoppers and have seen the reaction of the families when they pick up the clothing. Brodie said the mothers are always so grateful and the children love picking out the vibrant scarves, hats and mittens. The women always pick out colorful yarn that creates different stripes and patterns once knitted or crocheted.
Through the charity, each child receives a winter coat, pajamas, socks, underwear, thermal underwear and a light jacket. The knitted goods help supplement so each child walks away with more, and the knitted items are unique so no two kids have the same hat or scarf.
Fundraising for Warm the Children is done through The Recorder and has begun for 2017. Purchasing the clothing is done by Wilson’s Department Store and the families are matched with the program through Community Action.
Brodie said the work is very rewarding, and that they were able to drop off seven trash bags full of the knitted and crocheted goods ahead of the 2016 shopping days.
Petravage said being able to watch the kids pick out what they want makes it all worth it. She choked up when she told the story of watching a 4-year-old boy pick out a lime green hat to match the trim on his navy blue coat and then take off running around with the hat on, smiling and laughing.
The knitted goods are easy for the women to make and donations help offset the cost of yarn. For Loving Hands, it’s a small way to have a big impact on a child’s life.
“They’re the innocent ones, they didn’t ask to be cold,” she said.
To donate to Warm the Children, send a check to: Warm the Children, c/o The Recorder, P.O. Box 1367, Greenfield, MA 01302. New clothing may also be dropped off at The Recorder, at 14 Hope St., any time during the year.
Miranda Davis covers
Montague, Gill and Erving. You can reach her
at 413-772-0261, ext. 280