A business in Toronto is helping those in need this winter by offering free handmade knit socks and hats to keep residents warm throughout the season.
Spin Me a Yarn is a yarn store located on 2855 Lake Shore Blvd W. that recently launched an initiative called “Warmth for Those who Need it,” where owners Bob Carroll and Treena Evans leave handmade knit socks and hats outside of its store for those struggling in the cold.
The couple tells Now Toronto they started the project because they were inspired by a similar initiative they saw on social media and also noticed their community in need of a helping hand.
“South Etobicoke is a very mixed income neighborhood. So, while there obviously are issues with homelessness, there’s still a lot of very, very, again, mixed income areas. So, when you see people walking down the street trying to bundle up with just a thin little coat or something in the winter, it kind of makes you go, ‘What can we do?’” Carroll said in an interview on Tuesday.
As a result, they launched their project earlier this month in their monthly newsletter and sent out a call to fellow knitters and crocheters in the area for donations. The couple received a great response and were given tons of kits, hats, scarves and yarn as donations.
From there, the pair package the knitwear in ziploc bags to keep them dry and protected during the harsh weather and then attach them to their rainbow coloured, knit-wrapped light post where a sign informs the community about the free necessities.
“If you need any of the items below, please take what you wish and stay warm,” reads the sign.
As of Tuesday, the couple says they have successfully distributed over 60 items of clothing so far.
“I think the good part about it is there’s no pressure on anybody since it’s anonymous…So, I’ve never seen anyone take something and I’m sure they have, while I’ve been there, which is fine, that’s exactly the whole point. There’s no stigma around it,” Carroll said.
Carroll adds that the response has been so positive and overwhelming that some people have also been dropping off commercially made items as well.
However, he would like the public to know that smaller items such as hats, gloves and scarves are preferred as opposed to bigger items such as coats, blankets or sleeping bags because they are too large to be pinned on their light post.
The couple says those in need of knits this winter can visit their light post at any time.
“That’s the beauty, as Bob was saying, of putting them available outside the door, that people can come and take when they’re around. They don’t have to wait for us to be open and they can just take what they need when they need it. And our thinking is a lot of people wouldn’t want to come in and ask for things but this way, they can access them on their own schedule,” Evans explained.
The couple plans on keeping this initiative going until at least the end of February. However, residents can expect this project to be done every year going forward thanks to the incredible feedback from the community.
For those looking to donate, they can visit the store during opening hours which are Tuesday to Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. or Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Alternatively, people can also walk up to the light post and pin their donations themselves.
