‘There are people who care’: Montreal knitting circle offering strangers the gift of warmth this Christmas

A community group in Montreal is working to bring Christmas cheer to those in need, offering hand-knit items such as hats, scarves and mittens as a way to weave together kindness and warmth.

Colleen Gleadall, a Salvation Army Captain and a pastor at the Montreal Citadel church, told CTV National News she is a beginner when it comes to knitting, but said there are some people in the group who really know their way around a needle.

Gleadall said the items, created by a Salvation Army knitting circle known as Stitch & Chat, are hung on a Christmas tree outside of the church and are free for anyone who needs them.

“[I’m] just trying to give that warmth to people because it gets cold,” she said.

Gleadall said the handmade ornaments are replenished every couple of days by the knitting circle, which formed three years ago and has been decking out a Christmas tree ever since.

She said the hand-knit hats, scarves and mittens are presented on the tree — rather than being picked up or donated to a shelter — so no one knows who is grabbing them, eliminating any potential stigma.

“Part of what we want to do is give people dignity, and for a lot of people, having to ask for help, having to ask for essential items, it can be hard,” Gleadall said.

She added that those in need can feel embarrassed about not being able to provide for their children or family members.

“So making it anonymous, no one has to know where they got it,” she said.

While COVID-19 has kept the knitting circle apart for most of the year, making items independently from home, the knitters say their resolve has remained as strong as ever.

“I think it’s one of the most satisfying feelings… when I can do something to make life a little bit better, easier for someone else,” knitter Eleanor Shepherd said.

Gleadall said the handmade items not only keep strangers warm, but can lift peoples’ spirits during these trying times.

“There is hope in this. Even though with COVID it sometimes seems hopeless, there are people who care about one another,” she said.