As Old Man Winter bares his teeth and gives Bradford residents a
chill to the bone, many lucky children in town will no doubt give a
silent “thanks” to Martha Anderson.
After one year, thousands of yards of yarn, countless hours and
one woman’s heart of gold, the ELF (Era’s Less Fortunate) Fund has
been blessed with 35 hand-knit sweaters to distribute to needy
children in the area.
While the feat may seem incredible to some, this is nothing new
for Anderson – she has spent the past two decades plus casting-on
for children in need.
“I have knit all of my life, but in 1984, I lost a great-niece
to cystic fibrosis. Her mom and dad started an auction sale in her
memory and I knit caps and sweaters for it,” said Anderson. “The
Knit Shop in Smethport would donate all of the yarn, so we did not
pay for anything.”
“We” meaning Anderson and her mother, who worked alongside
Martha Anderson until her death at the age of 102. She and her
mother knitted between 85-140 sweaters a year for children in
need.
While the end products come from one household, they find new
homes all over the world. Although this year’s batch is staying
local, Anderson told of receiving thank-you letters from people
across the globe.
“I got one letter that was written in Polish and one in Russian.
I had a friend translate them into English and made a copy to give
to The Knit Shop,” she said.
The effort to distribute the sweaters is a joint one. After
Anderson drops the sweaters at the Custer City Post Office, there
is no telling who picks up the responsibility to get them to where
they need to go.
“I understand that the Knit Club in Bradford and the Lutheran
Church paid postage from here to Baltimore, Md., and then there was
a group in Maryland that sent them overseas.”
For the past three years, Joan Debolt has taken the position of
“distributor in charge.” This year, the sweaters finding their way
to the ELF Fund is an example of pure happenstance.
“This year, I was playing cards with Pat Woodruff and she said
that the ELF Fund would love to have the sweaters,” Debolt stated.
“The sweaters are just gorgeous. I knit, and knit a lot, and this
is a mind-boggling accomplishment.”
“In the past two years, we have sent the sweaters out to
different areas, but we all just thought that it would be wonderful
if they stayed in town.”
Debolt thinks it is amazing that Anderson is able to produce so
many sweaters.
“She takes care of her house, cooks for her elderly brother and
knits not only sweaters, but also socks, mittens and scarves.”
Four of the sweaters were auctioned off earlier in the year,
according to H.L. “Woody” Woodruff, ELF Fund president, who echoed
the words of Debolt in saying, “the sweaters are beautiful. This
woman should be recognized for her accomplishments.”
The remaining sweaters will be given away during the ELF Fund’s
annual distribution day which takes place on Dec. 21 this year.
“We received applications in the fall and will have bags made up
with the appropriate sizes for children in certain families. We
receive donations from residents and retailers around the
community,” said Chris Minich, ELF Fund co-chairman.
“I think that it is admirable and such a warm-hearted
accomplishment,” said Minich. “It is great that the sweaters are
staying local and really a commendable act by her.”
