By Adam Brandolph

Published: Monday, November 26, 2012
Updated: Monday, November 26, 2012

They're much slower than a speeding bullet, their hands don't squirt out webs, they can't fly, and most couldn't dunk a basketball — let alone leap a building in a single bound.

Yet members of the SkiffyTown League of Heroes, a Cranberry-based nonprofit, can keep 23 infants warm this winter.

The eclectic mix of about 100 people from around the country creates and dresses as superheroes to perform acts of kindness that don't require superpowers. Their name is a play off the science fiction abbreviation “Sci-Fi.”

“We're just trying to have a lot of fun, inspire the kids and teach them that you don't have to have superpowers to be a hero,” said Phil Desrosiers of Lebanon, Conn., a member of the group's board of directors.

“Any time you do something nice for someone, be kind to someone, or polite, it goes a long way.”

SkiffyTown will conduct a winter coat giveaway, dubbed “Operation North Star,” for infants from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 at Zelienople Area Public Library. The homemade superheroes will distribute 23 winter coats for babies up to 6 months old.

Recipients must be Pennsylvania residents and the parent or legal guardian of the child for whom the coat is intended.

SkiffyTown spawned from a message board for “Who Wants to be a Superhero?”, a show on Sci-Fi Channel. Hosted and created by comic book legend Stan Lee, it ran for two seasons in 2006 and 2007.

The members interacted on the message board and eventually met up at comic conventions, where they donned their super suits and visited hospitals, said Ron Carter, general manager of Zelienople's Strand Theater and a member of SkiffyTown's executive committee.

“It's been a very rewarding charity to be a part of,” Carter said. “It's our pleasure to get together and try to help out where we can.”

Adam Brandolph is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-391-0927 or abrandolph@tribweb.com.

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