The all volunteer Madison organization has made more than 22,000 mittens and raised over $750,000 for area food pantries since its inception in 2009.
ReMitts
ReMitts collects thousands of buttons which are added to mittens for decoration. This pair has a set of buttons shaped like the state of Wisconsin.
SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL
ReMitts
Ann Nelson picks out wool that will ultimately be used to make a pair of mittens. She is one of about 30 ReMitts volunteers who gather each Tuesday at Grace Lutheran Church to assemble mitten kits. Volunteers in the group then take the kits home to sew them into mittens.
SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL
ReMitts
Shelves full of wool sweaters are stored for ReMitts at Grace Lutheran Church on South Rosa Road but the inventory can be quickly depleted.Â
SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL
ReMitts
Volunteers at ReMitts use templates to cut mitten patterns from wool sweaters and polar fleece fabric. The volunteer organization hopes to make and sell more than 3,000 pair of mittens this year.
SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL
ReMitts
Wool sweaters are used to make mittens but the scraps are turned into wool dryer balls. A pack of three is sold for $20.
SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL
ReMitts
No pair of mittens made by ReMitts volunteers is the same. To keep up with demand, the nonprofit is in constant search of old wool sweaters, especially those with patterns.
SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL
ReMitts
Robin Hackman, back left, Joan Kilian-Ikeler, back right, Catherine McNally, front left and Sally Anderson socialize as they sew buttons on to mittens for ReMitts at Grace Lutheran Church in Madison.
SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL
ReMitts
Wool sweaters and other supplies for ReMitts volunteers to make mittens fill the shelves in the basement of Grace Lutheran Church in Madison.
SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL
ReMitts
Joan Kilian-Ikeler, left, and Sally Anderson of ReMitts share a laugh as they sew buttons onto mittens Tuesday during their weekly gathering at Grace Lutheran Church on Madison's West Side. The group of 30 volunteers hopes to sell more than $100,000 worth of mittens made from wool sweaters this year with all proceeds going to three area food pantries.
ReMitts was founded in 2009 and over the last 14 years has raised over $750,000 by recycling wool sweaters into mittens that are sold at area retailers.
