CityView Magazine

42 | January/February 2015 less population — and the lack of resources available to help. In the first year, 2009, the organization handed out about 50 scarves along with beef jerky, hats and toiletries, all in gi bags that Hunter's husband found. "Some said 'Congratulations, Graduate,'" chuckled Carpenter. From that beginning, the women gradually expanded the help they offered, oen in response to people who learned of the work they were doing and contacted them to ask for help. In addition to the bags and backpacks, the charity hosts two cookouts a year and participates with a local church to run "Undie Sunday" events, at which they collect donations of clean underwear, a staple that many people take for granted. For the past five years, the organization has grown and branched out, achieving official non-profit status this year. Along the way, they have held yard sales, volunteered to serve food at the local Salvation Army and even hosted an actor's workshop at which the entry fee was a donation of canned goods. "We've done a lot of crazy stuff," Carpenter said while laughing. A Family Legacy When Carpenter was a teenager living in the Van Story Hills neighborhood of Fayetteville, her pas- tor father would invite homeless men and women over for Sunday dinner. She remembers him asking them questions about themselves — what sports teams they might follow, if they were into cars — in order to learn who they were. As a teenager, Carpenter admitted to feeling em- barrassed by her father's actions. Later, however, she realized what he was trying to do. "He was making them feel visible," said Carpen- ter. By asking them about themselves, he was re- assuring them that they counted as human beings. "at's what we're trying to do." For Scarf It Up, this means that their next step is to begin developing relationships with people and organizations who can assist members of the homeless population in finding and keeping work. "We can hand out things all day long," said Car- penter, "but people need jobs." Carpenter spoke of the possibility of starting a food truck in order to be able to offer jobs in mak- ing and serving food, with the longer-term goal of opening a kitchen and offering employment on a broader basis. As Scarf It Up has grown, more people have started reaching out to refer homeless members of the community to them for help. Carpenter said, "Everyone who comes to us is referred from an- other source." According to Hunter and Carpenter, the charity will do some research on the referrals to determine if they are able to help. e referrals come from a number of places, said Carpen- ter. In one case, they reached out to help a woman who also walked to work, with the referral coming from another wom- an who oen saw her walking and offered her a ride. rough the referrals, Scarf It Up has already begun as- sisting people in this area, for example, finding a bicycle for a man who was referred to them, who had been walking daily to work — a round-trip commute of 14 miles. How to Help For people interested in becoming involved, Scarf It Up hosts periodic crocheting classes at Jitterbugz, a coffee shop in Spout Springs, to teach craers how to make the scarves and sleeping mats. For those who aren't cray, or may not have time, the char- ity accepts donations, which can be dropped off at Highland Animal Hospital, or by contacting them through their Face- book page. In addition to donations of hats and scarves, Scarf It Up also appreciates gis of yarn, drink mixes, seasonal items such as bug spray or ponchos, as well as gently used men's shoes. CV Beth Carpenter, founder of Scarf It Up

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