Purls of Joy and SAY are helping homeless, at risk youth stay warm
Purls of Joy yarn store in Healdsburg and Sonoma County Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) have worked together this winter season to create handmade hats, scarves and gloves for homeless youth.
Amie Windsor, the development coordinator for SAY, visited the store on Friday evening, Dec. 13 to pick up the colorful and fuzzy pile of hats and scarves, which will be given to children on the streets and to youth in the organization.
The nonprofit provides services such as counseling, academic support and housing to homeless and at-risk youth.
Purls of Joy owner Rosanne Park decided to launch the knitting campaign when she was approached with the idea from friends, family and fellow knit enthusiast and friend, Deborah Rust.
“My sister had asked me first before Deborah even. Deborah is involved with SAY, and my daughter-in-law’s sister started working there and I figured three signs, we gotta do something,” Park said. “We do a lot of charity knitting and we are always looking for projects, so we are hoping to get things to the kids and young people who are in the program, the ones on the streets.”
Rust said she floated the idea to Park when she participated in a similar charity project for knitters.
“I am a crazy knitter and a lot of knitters have these charity projects … and I said we should do a project like this for our area,” Rust said.
Rust was also involved with the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children program of Sonoma County (CASA) where she did knitting projects for teens.
To get knitters together for the SAY project, Rust said that Park orchestrated to get people excited about the project.
“She put it out on the newsletter and on the website and we had a kickoff party and Rosanne was so gracious, she gave us patterns and discounts for the people participating — she made it exceedingly approachable and easy to do,” she said.
Rust, who has been going to Park’s store since it opened nine years ago, said “it is great” being able to do something for the area and to work with a local business.
“It is the land of warm and fuzzy,” Rust said, describing the store. “When you go into the store you feel warm and welcomed, safe and at home.”and at home.”
Rust said that SAY works to provide the same “warm and welcomed” atmosphere for local youth.
“They need them with this weather, it is cold and wet,” she said.
Through the work of many volunteers and knitters, Park was able to collect around 80 knitted and crocheted hats and a dozen cowels, scarves and shawls and about 10 pairs of fingerless gloves.
Park said that about 30 to 40 knitters participated in the drive, including some folks who are newer to knitting.
According to Shelby Harris, communications and marketing manager for SAY, there are 657 homeless youth, ages 12 to 24, throughout Sonoma County.
Harris said this is a 29% increase from 2018.
She said being a youth on the streets is already difficult, but being on the streets during the cold weather season “makes it increasingly difficult.”
“It can increase vulnerability to a threatening level, so being able to have these warm weather items is important,” Harris said.
SAY’s special outreach team, a group dedicated to venturing around Sonoma County to offer services for those on the streets, will distribute the handmade items to places like the Joe Rodota Trail in Santa Rosa.
The hand-created winter wear will also go to the children who are living in SAY housing.
“We are so fortunate to live in a community … that recognizes the need of our community,” Harris said. “We are really grateful.”
