Group donates more than 100 handmade scarves to residents in need

Scarves hang from trees in front of the South County Government Center on Richmond Highway on Dec. 29.

If you drove by the South County Government Center last Friday morning and noticed lots of colorful scarves hanging in front of the building, you weren’t seeing things.

The group Chase The Chill Mount Vernon held its first “scarf storming” early that morning, hanging 121 handmade scarves from trees and poles along Richmond Highway in front of the center, which provides human services to many low-income and homeless community members.

Eight volunteers, including two youths, showed up in frigid temperatures to hang the scarves. By the end of the day, all were taken, said Denise Hayden, who organized the Mount Vernon chapter of Chase The Chill.

Chase The Chill, which started in Easton, Pa. in 2008 and now has chapters around the country and in Canada, combines art and charity. Volunteers knit and crochet scarves throughout the year, and then hold “scarf storming” events in public places to distribute them to less fortunate.

The  giveaways are anonymous effort; volunteers don’t stay after hanging the scarves and don’t monitor who takes what. Tags on the scarves indicate they are available to anyone who wants them.

Hayden had previously volunteered with the Chase The Chill chapter in D.C., and decided to start a chapter in the Richmond Highway area. She hoping to create a community of all ages that enjoy knitting and crocheting.

“It’s really about building a community of people that like to knit and crochet and like to make scarves,” said Hayden, who hopes to organize another event in March.