Warm Welcome Winter Coat Drive: Scarf Donation!

Leading up to the day of donation was truly exciting for me! So many beautiful scarves were rolling in, representing hours and hours of loving labor. I estimated that just one of my two scarves took me at least 10 hours to make, and there were 15 total scarves donated. I had picked a day to drive up to Salt Lake City, then had to move it back by half a week, which in some ways were fortunate (an additional 4 scarves were donated) and in others unfortunate (I just had to choose the day of the worst traffic incident in UDOT history!)

But first let me back up and set the stage a little. This whole project got started back in April 2016 by a call from the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve the millions of refugees around the world. Church members were encouraged to prayerfully choose what specific or unique ways they might be able to help based on what skills and time we had. I'm sure the gears were turning in hundreds of thousands of heads that week as good people all over the world responded to this call. And I'm sure many felt a lot like I did, anxious to help, but uncertain where to start...

Until the idea came. I love to knit. I learned how a few years back while earning my Personal Progress Award. I had never knitted anything complicated, just a few scarves and a hat. But scarves seemed useful. I knew there were many refugees being relocated to Utah, and that they might not be accustomed to these winters. I don't like being cold, and sometimes a scarf makes the hugest difference between miserably chilly and just cozy enough to handle things. I also like to knit while I do something else, like wait for my kids to get out of school or finish their gymnastics class, but most especially while I watch a good movie. So I thought, what if I invite people to come over and knit while we watch a movie? If they don't knit I can teach them, we can knit and visit, eat good food, watch good movies and do some good while we're at it. It sounded great! And that was how Knit-flix was born.

Even then, I wasn't sure what we would do with these scarves, and I kept second guessing myself. Were scarves really going to do any good? Would they be helpful? Or were we spending a lot of time on something that was kind of pointless? While I was trying to come up with a name for our cause, a few other ideas besides the name that stuck floated around in my head for a time. One of them happened to be "Warm Welcomes." I was thinking of all those refugees arriving and the hope that our scarves could make them feel more...well, warm and welcome. Even though that name didn't stick, it proved important. I started researching the various charities that worked with refugees. In particular I was interested in the International Rescue Committee (IRC). While scrolling through their website, trying to find any mention of need for winter accessories, I stumbled upon their "Warm Welcome Winter Coat Drive." My attention immediately perked up. I continued to read and was thrilled to see that they accepted not only coats, but also hats and scarves. There it was. I knew then that this was the place we would donate our scarves.

Over the next several months, we had three fun Knit-flix gatherings, and a lot of independent knitting took place, too. Due to a wildly busy summer, I was only able to knit 2 of the three scarves I hoped to complete. Thankfully my friends made over a dozen others. As the time approached for the Coat Drive, I contacted Jesse, the director of the drive, regarding the required appointment to drop off donations. I told him that my friends and I had been knitting scarves to donate. Jesse responded with enthusiasm, saying that was perfect because they had actually run out of scarves last year while distributing them to the new arrivals. I couldn't believe it. All those times I had doubted whether these scarves mattered, and suddenly it was clear that this was meant to be all along!

By the afternoon of Wednesday October 5 I had collected 15 lovely scarves, all but one lovingly hand knitted or crocheted. I thought I was leaving with plenty of time to arrive at the Salt Lake City IRC office, but once I got underway, it was clear that all was not going to be smooth sailing. Siri informed me that the usually 45 minute route was in fact going to take me an hour and a half! Earlier that day a tanker carrying explosive chemicals had turned over on the freeway, shutting down traffic in both directions and on all surrounding streets as well. Thankfully Siri found me another route that cut my travel time by a little and I was not more than 15 minutes late for my appointment. It was wonderful to meet Jesse and tell him a little about our project. I asked him how many scarves they were short last year. He said they probably ran out with about 100 refugees left, and that scarves were apparently a very popular item. I promised him we would keep working and try to have a much bigger donation next year.

I drove away with warm feelings, which was a good thing because it took me more than 2 hours to get home! I was grateful for a good friend who rescued my stranded kids from school, a teenage daughter who could handle things at home until I got there, and my toddler who fell asleep on the drive instead of being grumpy the whole way. I was especially grateful to all of you who came to our Knit-flix gatherings, making them so fun and friendly (and full of good food!) and most of all for the hours and hours donated to making those beautiful scarves! We may never see them being worn, but I know each one will be appreciated. Thank you, thank you! Thank you for helping. I am excited for what we can do next year! Let's bridge that gap with a full 100 scarves!