Ever since I was little...

...I've noted how large the homeless population is in South Florida. As the months turned towards winter, I remember seeing these people of my community without hats or jackets to keep them warm. Up North, some of the first items people donate to homeless populations are items of warmth, but here in Florida, scarves and mittens are hardly filling donation boxes. However, climate change continues to alter weather around the world, and winters in Florida are getting considerably colder. For people without the proper gear to keep them warm and without a roof over their heads, it is more than a worry: it's a life-risk. 

Then, when it came time for my mitzvah project, I used my passion for knitting to knit sixty infant caps for Knit For Kids, a global organization that dispersed the caps across to countries where people were suffering from the elements and did not have the protection of sturdy housing. I realized that my own artistic form of stress relief was helping to improve lives of children on the other side of the world. When I started brainstorming ideas for my Gold Award project, I decided to do it in my own backyard.

While there are still some organizations and individuals that donate items of warmth to Florida's homeless populations (although less than one might find up North), the items are almost always store-bought. The homeless community is one that is often cast aside and given minimal respect; my goal is to not only provide protection from the cold, but respect, love, and a sense of dignity, so fellow members of my community can know that people truly care. I hope they feel the warmth of kindness—as well as the warmth of the hand-knitted caps—knowing the items were made for them with love by a newly educated, tight-knit community.