Volunteers from The Scarf Project will be hanging hand-knitted scarves throughout the community on November 14th. The scarves are free for the taking and available to anyone in the community. (Submitted)
Tuscarawas County, Ohio - A New Philadelphia woman and her legion of helpers are gearing up for their third-annual community-wide scarf distribution.
The Scarf Project began in 2016 when Toni Kaltenbaugh discovered a YouTube video about a group in Oklahoma that collected knitted scarves and distributed them to the community.
“They were hanging scarves in a park,” Kaltenbaugh explains. “People that needed the scarves were coming into the park and picking them up and taking them, and I thought, ‘Well, how awesome is that!’”
Thinking that it would be great to start something similar in her own community, Kaltenbaugh shared the video on her Facebook page and was amazed at the response.
That November, Kaltenbaugh and her helpers hung 120 scarves along the fence in front of Rite Aid in New Philadelphia. By the second year, the project had grown to 1,500 scarves and 13 locations.
“It exploded... It’s like God took over, and the exploded thing exploded, and it’s not my project anymore, it’s His.”
For the third year of The Scarf Project, Kaltenbaugh is expecting to hang about 1,000 scarves at nine different locations.
The scarves will be hung on Wednesday, November 14th, weather permitting, and will be free to for the taking with no questions. at the following locations:
- Rite Aid - 705 W High Ave, New Philadelphia
- Tuscarawas County Public Library (Main) - 121 Fair Ave NW, New Philadelphia
- Village Garden Bulk Food - 102 N Wooster Ave, Strasburg
- Panhandle Passage Park - E. 4th St., Uhrichsville
- HARCATUS Family Support Center - 108 N. 2nd St., Dennison
- Roswell Community Park - 5198 Main St. NE, Roswell
- Intersection of State Street and Barnhill Road in Midvale
- Starlight Enterprises - 236 E. High Avenue
- SARTA station - 10 Prospect St., Alliance
The Scarf Project is made possible through the help of volunteers and the support of the community through donations. To get involved, call 330-432-1930.