No, hats and gloves don’t grow on trees, but it will look that way on Saturday
If you happen to be driving around near downtown Fort Worth this Saturday, don’t be surprised if you spot some colorful decor hanging along fences and trees.
It’s all part of Warm Up America!’s annual Made With Love event, which distributes hand-knitted and crocheted items in public places to those in need of a little warmth during the cold weather season. Some of the items distributed include hats and scarves, as well as sweaters, gloves and mittens.
Warm Up America! was founded in 1991 by Evie Rosen, a Wisconisn-based yarn shop owner. Since then, the organization has grown beyond the cheesehead state and across the country with unofficial chapters in almost every state, including here in North Texas.
Sarah Guenther, public relations coordinator for the Craft Yarn Council and Warm Up America!, said the organization has collected over 3,000 items so far for this year’s Made With Love event in Fort Worth. She said she estimates that since the event began four years ago, a total of 7,600 items have been distributed.
For anyone interested in helping out with this weekend’s event, Guenther said volunteers are invited to meet at Beautiful Feet Ministries (1709 E. Hattie St., Fort Worth) at 9 a.m. to begin hanging items on nearby trees and fences for anyone who needs some added warmth from the cold. Volunteers will continue working their way down East Lancaster Avenue until around 11 a.m.
If you’d like to donate to knitted or crocheted items, the cutoff for this year’s event has passed. However, Guenther said the organization does accept donations year-round (Made with Love donations start specifically around mid-October). Warm Up America! accepts hand-knitted and crocheted items, including afghans, 7-inch-by9-inch sections, hats, scarves, gloves/mittens, baby booties and sweaters.
For more information on Warm Up America!, call 972-325-7232 or visit www.warmupamerica.org.
This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 1:06 PM with the headline "No, hats and gloves don’t grow on trees, but it will look that way on Saturday."