A day before the first snowfall of fall 2021, community members took to the streets to help others stay warm in the cold.
Organizer Dee Cavanagh was thrilled to be able to hold the Chase the Chill New West event again. Put on hold in 2020 because of the pandemic, the event returned to Hyack Square on Sunday, Dec. 5.
“There were over 200 handmade scarves, toques and cowls kindly donated by community members,” Cavanagh said in an email to the Record. “Many people were so thankful and surprised to receive a free item. Let's all try to pay it forward!”
Cavanagh, a New West resident, launched the local Chase the Chill initiative in 2018. The initiative began in Easton, Pennsylvania in 2008 and subsequently spread to cities in the United States and Canada.
Cavanagh, who does a lot of knitting and crocheting, thought it would be a good way to get toques and scarves to community members, including people who are homeless.
Like previous years, the knitted and crocheted items were distributed through a yarn-bombing event in and around Hyack Square.
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