Handmade items for Heritage Hearth
By Emma Castleberry
In November, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (BRNHA) launched the Heritage Hearth Charity Drive in an effort to provide handmade warmth to Western North Carolina communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. The drive, which ran from November 11 to January 20, collected 3,800 hand-knit and crocheted items, including hats, mittens, scarves and cowls.
The drive saw overwhelming support from across the country, with contributions pouring in from groups like Warm Up America, the Fiber Crew at Warren Wilson College, the HIT Squad of Hendersonville, Central Kentucky Fiber Arts and many more. “It is incredible what communities can do together,” says Bridget Herbig, communications manager with BRNHA. “Communities range from local to nationwide to global. In the Heritage Hearth Charity Drive instance, the fiber community nationwide picked up their knitting needles and crochet hooks to help others. I keep saying that when there is a need, call the makers.”
Handmade items for Heritage Hearth
Herbig says handmade items carry a different weight and meaning than something that is mass-produced. “Each is like a handwritten letter instead of a typed one,” she says. “Extra time and skills are used to craft individual objects to provide warmth and a message, ‘You are not alone. Someone is thinking of you. You deserve comfort.’”
BRNHA worked with Kristy Kulberg of NC Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NC VOAD) to evenly distribute the items across BRNHA’s coverage area of 25 counties and the Qualla Boundary. Sorting through the donations was a moving experience for Herbig and her team. She was particularly touched by local groups who, despite facing their own challenges, found the time to contribute. “I was pretty verklempt when local groups donated boxes of items,” she says. “Here they are, living through disaster recovery and still donating their time to knit and crochet for others. People didn’t just thank BRNHA for helping our region; some thanked us for giving them something to contribute to.”
While the Heritage Hearth Charity Drive was a new initiative prompted by the immediate needs following Hurricane Helene, Herbig says the group might do another charity drive in the fall or winter. “None of us realized how big it would be,” she says. “We really value the concept of connecting people through heritage crafts. It continues traditions and connects communities.”
Learn more at BlueRidgeHeritage.com.
