Comfort Scarves Collects Donations for Valentine's Day

Barb Kochuba of is continuing her efforts to give comfort to women in a time of need through Comfort Scarves, a network of knitters who donate items to people entering domestic violence shelters in our area.

To read our feature story about Kochuba,

Here is the latest from Kochuba's Comfort Scarves newsletter:

As I began to assemble scarves last week for February deliveries, I realized that I just might have enough to also provide scarves as Valentine’s Day gift for all residents.

I hadn’t emailed or posted anything about this since the Holiday Project had just overwhelmed me and I wasn’t thinking ahead to February at the time. But so many unexpected scarves arrived and I had some in the stash from the Holiday Project, thus began to think of hearts—especially when so many scarves were pink, white, red and other Valentine’s appropriate colors—including a scarf knit in cascading hearts of white with red trim on the edges. Now was that a message or was that a message?

So, I contacted our shelters to determine their needs for all residents and set about packing up boxes.

I was a little short, so focused on the February monthly needs then split the rest for Valentine’s Day gifts tied in pink yarn but still not enough for all residents. Literally used every single scarf in the house—no longer had an emergency stash cause this was the emergency.

Decided that I’d send what I had and just believe. Two email messages later that day—Malinda Dibella from Strasburg had just mailed a box of 40 scarves and Laura Guertin, who does this program in Delaware County, wrote that they had a surplus and could she ship me 100 scarves. 

I asked Laura to send me ones appropriate for Valentine’s Day, thus with their donations and Malinda’s, I will be able to have gifts for all the residents in all our shelters. This is why I believe.

Donations/help arrived from: Mary Ellen Benson, Becky Beveridge, Pauline Borish, Holliana Bryan, Janet Daniels, Mary Ellen Kinkel, Jenny McIntosh, Mary Jane Patterson, Mary Ann Sedelack, Lynn Shelly and the fifth grade religious class at Temple Sinai, Emily Shipe,  and Joan Trimble.

A special thanks to Mary Ann Sedelack who wrote that she also mailed a box of fun fur to Knit Wits in Florida—Lynn Zuckerman’s knitting class at Hope Lodge for cancer patients undergoing long term chemo who love fun fur—thank you Mary Ann for your generosity! 

For more information or to get involved, email bgkbarb@aol.com.