Apparently it’s not unusual to see a bag of mittens hanging from a tree up on the Iron Range. They are put there for folks who need them. It’s a generous project dreamed up by local women. They heard a story about another community out East that was tying donated scarves around tree trunks. They were put there for people in need and people were taking them. People in Northern Minnesota thought – we can do that too. So according to Hometown Focus…

A few days of brainstorming ideas and the gals developed a plan, gave it a name (Change the Range), some simple guidelines, and created a Facebook event (running continuously Dec. 1-April 1). They sent out 15,000 invites to the “event” to their Facebook friends, held their breath and waited for feedback.

A thousand people responded in the first 24 hours, pledging to participate, and hundreds more expressed interest. And those were just the people on Facebook. Many others have heard about Change the Range via word of mouth, or newspaper, television or radio coverage. With the “kick off” slated for December 1, there were a few weeks to spread the word and to get community officials on board. It wasn’t hard.

It’s a great idea – great use of social media. Here’s how it works (again from Hometown Focus)…

Here’s how to Change the Range

• Find a pair of mittens, gloves, hat, scarf, anything, etc. that you would like to donate (please make sure items are clean and in good condition).
• Hang or display it outside in a public area for anyone in need to take. Get creative! You can create your own tag to add to it so people know they are for anyone in need, or use one of our tags which you can print. We recommend placing the donated article of winter wear in a Ziploc bag to keep whatever you are donating dry. Please label bags that are not clear, so others can know what it is without tearing open the bag.
• If you’d like, take a picture of the item where you placed it, and post it to Facebook and/or Instagram with the hashtag #changetherange.

I’m adding this information for folks who might want to try something similar in other communities. It’s been unseasonable warm this year – but we all know it’s going to get cold.