Lonely Mittens March Update

We have added some more locations where you can drop off your lonely mittens and gloves. Read below for updates and volunteering opportunities!

We’re back in plus double-digit weather, so I’m putting my winter clothes away. Before hiding everything until next winter, I’m checking if I have any unpaired gloves or mittens. Throughout the winter I’ve seen maybe a dozen - and a surprising number of scarves - hanging on elevated places in hopes their human comes back, and now a few more peeking out as the snow melts. At the Lonely Mitten Project, this is when things ramp up.

While collecting, washing, sorting, and the like have been going on for months now, volunteers at OSEAN have also been working tirelessly connecting with schools, community representatives, local businesses, and even the city of Ottawa. We’re preparing for a big wave of donations as lost-and-founds across Ottawa look to dispose of their winter collections. The Lonely Mitten Project through OSEAN is stepping in to divert this waste through some tried and true steps.

The 3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) is a mantra so repeated and boring that it’s hardly considered. Regarding reducing; while we don’t recommend forgoing gloves - especially in the winter, we do insist that a new pair isn’t necessary for every season and outfit. I write this as a reminder to myself too: take care of what you have.

Reuse is our main goal, finding pairs of gloves and mittens that are perfect, close enough, or complimentary. Last year The Lonely Mitten Project collected over 6000 lonely gloves and mittens from schools, public buildings and designated drop off sites throughout Ottawa. Over 30 volunteers gathered, transported, washed, mended, and paired mittens and gloves, and helped to make over 2,500 pairs of mittens and gloves and distributed these back into the community. Once paired, we deliver the mittens to local schools, and community organizations such as the Caldwell Family Centre, the Brookfield Community Food Cupboard, Street Outreach Society and Steps off the Streets. A further 1,500 were matched by the Conseil des ecoles catholiques du Centre-est, and given to students who needed them.

Finally, recycle. We are working towards next steps to salvage fabrics that cannot be donated. Beyond just being another way to reroute the mittens and gloves from the dump, a cyclical economy is necessary for long-term sustainability and environmental equilibrium.

We have been helped by a $1000 grant from Awesome Ottawa, pro bono services from Brown’s Cleaners, and of course our volunteers. Our main priorities at the moment are spreading the word, finding space to store and sort, and recruiting more hands to help with the work.

At OSEAN, we want to build relationships with people who appreciate the importance of protecting our environment, diverting waste, and building community. Together, we can use that people power to create even more visible, accessible ways for people to make positive change across Ottawa. If you have lonely mittens at home, or at school, you can drop them off at the different collection locations we have around town!