Hundreds of Hats, Mittens Collected

Mittens and hats and gloves and scarves were everywhere. Nearly 800 in total at the Myron J. Francis Elementary School in Rumford.

The school held a winter hat and mitten drive from Dec. 10 through Dec. 14 to benefit children & families served by the Rhode Island Donation Exchange Program (RIDEP), according to Ellen Whitehead, a PTO coordinator.

RIDEP is a non-profit provider to more than 85 social service agencies statewide, providing qualified individuals & families in need, including those in homeless and domestic violence shelters, community action programs, rehabilitation programs, and community centers, she said.

The total donation to RIDEP was estimated to be nearly 800 hats, mittens, gloves and scarfs, which includes 75-100 donations from school families.

Then there was the effort made again this year by Rita Fischer, a supervisory aide at the school, Whitehead said. She made 500 crocheted hats, 100 fleece scarves, and 88 fleece hats all by herself.

Fischer's donations to the MJF hat and mitten drive supplemented the 200 newborn hats she crocheted for area hospitals.