How to Help Needy Children & Adults Stay Warm in Minnesota

Minnesota can be bitterly cold; your hats and mittens are just what is needed to keep needy folks warm

On a cold winter’s day one day, Rebecca Sundquist noticed a mother with three kids, all of whom were dressed as if it were summer.

In an instinctive move, she pulled off her own sweater and handed it to the woman. Later, though, the wheels began turning in her mind–surely more could be done to help people in need like this family?

In 1996, Rebecca turned this instinct into an organization called Hats & Mittens that would partner with nonprofit organizations to provide warm winter wear to people in need.

Minnesota Can Get Really Cold

According to weatherspark.com, Minnesota’s average winter temperatures stay below freezing, from December to February. The average low in the month of January is a jaw-dropping 9 degrees Fahrenheit–and that doesn’t include wind chill. 😱Wind chill can cause the average low to dip between 5 and 13 below 0 degrees.

For people without adequate clothing or shelter, these kinds of temperatures can cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes (particularly when wind chill is involved).

Exposure to below-freezing temperatures without adequate clothing can also result in hypothermia, which can be fatal. Hypothermia can set in anywhere between a few hours to a few minutes, the latter in extreme cold (temperatures well below zero).

While Minnesota doesn’t often get cold enough for hypothermia to set in within minutes, it can certainly happen. And even a half hour in bitter cold without proper clothing can be too long.

Beyond the worst-case scenarios of frostbite and hypothermia, of course, there’s the fact that cold weather can make us miserable! And when we don’t have a way to keep our hands, necks, and heads warm, it’s even worse.

And this is why Hats & Mittens has stepped in!

How Hats & Mittens Helps

On their website, Hats & Mittens has a space for non-profit organizations to “order” hats, mittens, and cowls or scarves for the population they serve.

These nonprofits have included the following types of organizations in the seven-county metro Twin Cities area:

• schools
• shelters
• social service organizations
• youth service organizations
• food banks

To get an idea of Hats & Mittens’ impact: in 2024, they distributed 29,466 sets of hats and mittens!

How You Can Help Hats & Mittens

If you love to knit, of course, you can create warm and cozy hats, scarves, cowls, and/or mittens.

According to Rebecca, they are most always in need of these items for ages 14 to adult. So while they will take all sizes, these are the ones that will fill the greatest need!

Items made with wool and/or acrylic are most welcomed.

If you live in Minnesota, you can find a drop-off location for your donations here. If you don’t live in Minnesota and wish to send a donation, you can send them to Rebecca at the mailing address listed on this page on the Hats & Mittens website. You can also call or email her at the contacted information listed there, if you have any further questions.

For inspiration, and to connect with other makers who love to create for Hats & Mittens, be sure to follow their Facebook page.

If you have friends who would like help but don’t knit, crochet, or sew, they can do one of two things. They can either donate financially, or they can purchase new hats, mittens, and/or cowls/scarves using the organization’s Amazon wishlist. All such donations can be made from this page.

Hats & Mittens is waiting and eager to receive your donations. If you live in Minnesota, or if you have a heart for the needy who live there, you’ll find Hats & Mittens a wonderful organization to partner with!