Thousands of hats, gloves distributed around Greensburg to help homeless, those in need

Volunteers dispersed thousands of bags filled with hats, coats and gloves around Greensburg in an annual rite ahead of months of winter cold.

The gear — affixed to telephone poles, fences and trees or left out in the open — won’t hang around long.

In past years, most bags were gone within 48 hours, said Feeding the Spirit Founder Deb Thackrah.

The Hats and Gloves with Love initiative is a partnership between Feeding the Spirit and Westmoreland Community Action. Volunteered fanned out to hang the bags on Sunday. The event coincides with Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

“There are a lot of people in our community that are homeless, and there are a lot of people in the community who have an apartment that they can’t afford to heat, or they can’t provide warm clothes for their children,” Thackrah said.

Feeding the Spirit and Westmoreland Community Action gathered donations of new and gently used hats, scarves and gloves for all ages, packed them into plastic bags and hung them up all over town Sunday.

Notes inside each bag state the contents are free to anyone who needed them.

Many were hung along the Five Star Trail, where Greensburg’s homeless often congregate, Thackrah said.

Volunteers distributed about 4,000 bags, on par with last year. This is the fourth year of the initiative. It started as a small effort in 2016.

“It was so much fun, and so well received, we decided we’d put some energy into it to do it the following year, and the community just responds amazingly,” Thackrah said.

She started Feeding the Spirit nine years ago. The group provides meals and housing assistance to Greensburg-area residents who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.