The DU Hat and Glove Challenge (Do you knit? crochet? Or do you have an old hat laying around?)

[DonRedwood]

Last edited Sat Dec 8, 2012, 08:43 PM - Edit history (2)

The Dollar Store here sells fuzzy winter hats and gloves for a buck. Many of us have old hats and gloves stuffed in drawers that we don't really much care for or just don't ever wear. What about those horrible mittens Aunt Gertrude knitted you? Heck, maybe you can knit up a hat by hand!

Hey DU, I challenge you all to get a couple of sets of hats and gloves together, maybe put them in a ziplock in your car, and keep them there for a winter. If you live here where it gets cold, then you know it is only a matter of time until you see a cold homeless person. Imagine if every DU member wrangled up an old pair of gloves and a hat and warmed someone with them. More than a 100,000 cold people who are doing just a little bit better.

I am just finishing up a food drive at work. We have a great big box of food, toothpaste, rice and canned chicken already. We can't all do something so big, but we can all give away a hat, eh?

A happy and warm December to you all and may we all have a chance to make the world a little bit better place this season.



And don't forget Wishadoo this holiday season. it is DU but with a heart that grew ten times too big. :0)) http://www.wishadoo.org/wishlist/139/help-for-new-engine-for-disabled-van/

[LeftofObama]

1. That's a great idea!

I have about 6 or 7 pairs of gloves that are brand new that I never wear. They were given to me as gifts, but I have one particular pair that I really like and wear all the time.

I've been meaning to donate them and until now I forgot all about them.

[DonRedwood]

2. And you get the fun of throwing things out the car window at people!

But in a nice fluffy hat and glove way!!

:0) Thanks for chiming in! :0)

[DonRedwood]

7. Um...I was kidding there. But I do recommend baggies in case they fall in a puddle

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Or donate them to a school.

We never have enough for our kids in the winter.

[DonRedwood]

4. Very Awesome Idea.

WOrthy of its own OP :0)

[DonRedwood]

5. That makes me want to donate a box. Just order them on line and have them shpped to a school

Dollar Tree ships...

http://www.dollartree.com/Christmas/Winter-Apparel/Adult-Peruvian-Hats/319c399c399p335062/index.pro

$36 for a case of hats :0) Hmmmmmm..... that would be a well spent $36 AND, you might be able to sob story them out of a better deal. :0)

[murielm99]

14. I carry them in my car for the kids.

I sub. All the kids know me because I have lived here forever.

You would be surprised how many of the kids walk home in freezing weather with no hats or mittens. I give several pairs away every year. We have had record breaking warm weather. But it is time for me to put mittens, hats and scarves in the car.

[DonRedwood]

22. i used to carry my old blankets in the car

but the dog gets the old blankets now.

[DonRedwood]

6. I am kicking my own post!

shameful, I know, but I want to inspire some charity!! :0)

[99Forever]

8. K&R

[LiberalEsto]

9. Our UU church has its annual Mitten Tree tomorrow

Last edited Sat Dec 8, 2012, 06:13 PM - Edit history (1)

People bring in mittens, hats and scarves to hang on the tree.
After the service they are distributed to shelters.
We're bringing 5 pairs of gloves.

I also have a suggestion. Watch for sales of small canned hams like DAK at stores at this time of year. CVS has the 16-oz hams this coming week for $2.87 each, but I've seen them selling for less. Last year I got a dozen for the local food pantry so people could have a small holiday dinner.

[DonRedwood]

18. i thought those canned hams were so cool when I was a kid.

I have a rule of thumb...every time I go to the grocery store, I buy at least one item for the foodbank. If there is a great sale on something then I'll grab a couple. The boy scouts do a food drive every winter, the postal workers do one a year, I do one a year. So, every time one of those occasions rolls around, I usually have a shelf of stuff ready to go. And not just canned corn or green beans, but peaches, tuna, peanut butter, chili, etc. Stuff that you can really survive on.

[LiberalEsto]

25. Tuna is 99 cents a can this week

at CVS

I'm vegetarian myself, but when I buy for donation, I try to go for the things with protein. My husband and I did that when we helped feed Occupy DC last year.

[DonRedwood]

34. my nutritionist says black beans are basically a wonder food

very good for you.

[gateley]

10. K&R!

[NMDemDist2]

11. great idea! i was so proud of our office this week, 140 peopledonated over 1000 pounds of food

Thats a lot of food in our little town of 30k

And i'm headed to my closet with zip locks right now, sunday nights lows will be in the teens

[DonRedwood]

13. Your message just made my day!

I didn't think to weigh it.

[NMDemDist2]

24. we estimated. a bag of beans was 1 point, a16oz can was 1 point etc

it was a contest between the two sides of the building. total points scored for both teams was 1060+

[Arkansas Granny]

15. This is a great idea. I love to knit hats and recently

sent about three dozen handmade hats labeled with fiber content and washing instructions, to the local homeless shelter. I spend about 30-45 minutes a day on the bus. I can finish a hat in less than a week using time that I would otherwise spend staring out the window.

[DonRedwood]

19. wow...those must be very treasured by the lucky people who get them!

I still have the hat my mom crocheted me in (gasp) 1974. My dad was in the hospital for almost a year and she learned how to crochet. She's sit in his room, hour after hour, through the night usually, crocheting away.

The hat she made me is one of those long skiing hats...three or four feet long with a tassle on the end--made to wrap around your neck on a cold day sledding in Valcez. She had made it out of all the leftovers from her afghan making frenzy she went through. If she had leftovers she'd knit on my hat until the yarn ran out, then put it away until the next afghan project left some more leftovers.

It is a little bit homely but I must love it since I've kept it for song. (even though I didn't wear it very much as a kid...it was kind of embarrassing...she did a lot of baby afghans and always had leftover pink. I think my hat too much pink for me to be comfortable with at age 10. :0)

[DonRedwood]

30. little kid hats might be quicker even!

if you wanted to take them to a school :0)

[Arkansas Granny]

32. I made a variety of sizes. Not all of the homeless are adults.

Something else people might consider donating is shoes. My sister has a friend who looks for shoes at yard sales to take to the shelters.

[DonRedwood]

36. We were just discussing it was time to do a shoe purge!

[Cleita]

16. Great idea. It doesn't get that cold here but a cool ocean breeze can cause earaches

and I sometimes wear one when I'm outdoors in the winter. I do have a lot of left over yarn from other projects that could be made into knitted caps. Thanks for the idea. I will do so. How about thick socks too? Not necessarily to wear under your shoes during the day but wherever they are sleeping to keep their feet warm.

[DonRedwood]

20. throw in a cheap handwarmer packet (that hunters use) and that would be a mighty fine

little gift to get. :0)

[lunatica]

17. What a thoughtful suggestion

[DonRedwood]

23. I hope it moves some people to lend a hand in an easy way :0)

[sabrina 1]

21. That's a great idea.

I will definitely put some in the car as I often see homeless people and do try to help with food etc. But it is getting colder here at night and that is a great way to help also.

[Warpy]

26. I really should start knitting

because I have a huge stash of handspun and if I don't do something constructive with it soon, it'll just feed the bugs.

Hats sound pretty good. I have some sparkly handspun that would be great for kids and some that is in a surprise! color that homeless women might appreciate. I can do a hat in just a few hours, they're easy to knit.

[DonRedwood]

35. I don't think I have the patience to knit...

or just not the patients to learn how to knit. I made a doily once. I was pretty annoyed by the entire experience.

[Warpy]

37. I do knitting on autopilot while the TV is on

Knitting big or simple projects is like that. It's otherwise wasted time that you've turned into a sweater or something else useful.

Lace is different. I have to pay attention to that and usually cuss nonstop.

[DonRedwood]

38. I think I just got my knit-crazy neighbor to do some hats :0)

[knitter4democracy]

27. Schools need them, too.

In Michigan, kids cannot go out at recess without hats and mittens once the temp's below 20 degrees. That's too many kids inside when they need to be outside.

I've got to get another one on the needles...

[DonRedwood]

40. schools are always great to give to...i always tell people to take left over art supplies to school

[mrmpa]

28. I've done this the past couple of winters..........

I also keep a few bags of dog food (5 lb. bags) as I often see homeless with their pets.

[DonRedwood]

31. good idea!!

my dog can share a few pounds of her food. :0)

[Sherman A1]

29. K&R

[MineralMan]

33. One of the homeless shelters in my city has an annual

warm clothing drive each late fall. Jackets, parkas, gloves, hats...anything warm is wanted. So, what I've been doing for the past few years is stopping by the local Goodwill and another thrift store during the summer. I buy up parkas and other stuff when it's on deep discount off-season and store them until the warm clothing drive occurs. Then, I load them all up in my car and take them to the shelter. They give them out to all comers, whether they're staying at the shelter or not.

I've also been known to ask people at garage sales to donate that stuff to me for the drive. During the summer, most everyone just says, "Oh, sure. Just take it."

It's easy to do, and I like going to thrift stores and garage sales anyhow.

[DonRedwood]

39. Very good idea.

I'll remember this during the summer!