GREENFIELD — Thirteen-year-old Angelino Davis and his 11-year-old sister Deshiana got a call from their grandmother Sunday evening, and rushed with their mother to meet her on the Greenfield Common to hang the scarves Sandra Cross and volunteers have been making and collecting since January.
“I knew the weather was going to be nice for a few days, so it kind of all happened in a hurry,” said Cross, founder of The Scarf Project. “We just left everything there on the common and throughout the downtown. We’ve done it in freezing cold weather, so when I saw it was only going to go down to 32 degrees, I thought we’d better get them out there.”
Cross, her daughter Alicia and her two grandchildren spent about an hour and a half hanging 137 knitted or crocheted scarves, 110 hats, 140 pairs of mittens and 40 pairs of men’s socks. Cross said she started three years ago with several members of the project, which grew to 15 members last year and 72 this year.
“Some people make one or two scarves, some buy hats after Christmas at a discount and save them for the following year and some just provide support for the rest of us,” Cross explained. “Regardless, everyone is a member because they care.”
Cross said she sent an email to Mayor Roxann Wedegartner letting her know she was leaving the scarves again this year. She said people also donated stuffed animals, so she and her family left a few on the benches on the common.
“I started this after I retired, because I wanted to do something for people,” she said. “I wanted to give back to my community.”
Cross lives in Turners Falls, but her daughter and grandchildren reside at 37 Woodleigh Ave. in Greenfield, where a collection box sits on the porch before each holiday season, so people can drop off items for the less fortunate.
“I knitted 87 of the scarves this year,” Cross said. “If I get bored over the next couple of weeks, I’ll probably pick up needles and start knitting for next year, but I’ll most likely take a break and begin in January. I try to aim for two scarves a week.”
Cross’ cousin Tina Blais makes many of the hats, and her stepmother Lois Cross knitted 10 scarves this year.
Once she leaves the items, Cross said she doesn’t worry about them.
“People can take what they need,” she said. “I’m not going to think about who is taking how many. They are there for those who need them.”
Cross said a “nice young woman” showed up on the common Sunday night to thank her.
“She told me she saw what we were doing on Facebook and just wanted to let me know how grateful she was, but she didn’t take anything,” Cross recounted. “She just wanted us to know that she knew what a nice thing we were doing for others.”
Cross said many years ago, when she needed some help, there were plenty of people who reached out, including strangers. She said she never forgot that and hopes she can make others feel like someone cares — something she felt back then.
“This is an especially tough year with COVID-19 on top of everything else,” she said. “If nothing else, we can help people stay warm through it all.”
For more information about The Scarf Project, visit bit.ly/34WlaEG
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.