Thursday was cold and rainy, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of three women from Rockford United Methodist Church who stood outside the Jackson County Clothing Center to give away winter scarves, blankets, hats and other items to those in need.

Sarah Schwab, Pat Lewis and Phyllis Chasteen were on the front porch of the clothing center at 622 W. Second St., Seymour, from 1 to 4 p.m. to give out winter bundles to families and individuals.

Schwab worked on making the scarves whenever she could throughout the year and ended up with 14 handmade scarves to give away Thursday afternoon. To see the appreciation of those who received them, it was worth every minute she spent on them, she said.

Some of the other scarves the women handed out were made from fleece remnants left over from the church’s blanket-making party Dec. 11. About 10 of those were given away Thursday along with six fleece scarves, Lewis said.

“There were about 10 people who helped with this project, which we call our blessings box,” Schwab said. “We have handmade ornaments, and some people bought gloves, bookmarks, hats and socks to take to the clothing center.”

The blessings box is something new the church is trying this year.

“One of the churches in south Louisiana had a Tree of Hope that had scarves, ornaments and other items they gave to people in need, and we were inspired by that idea,” Schwab said. “It works out better for us to have the blessings box because it’s portable.”

She said the church has decided to have an ongoing blessings box so they could have it available when someone needs an item or to possibly carry to another agency in the near future.

“We might go back to the clothing center or another local agency, and we also give Anchor House food every month,” she said.

The church has about 35 members who attend regularly, down in numbers like a lot of other churches due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number might be small, but those members make a big impact on the community.

“It’s a very giving church, and it has been that way since we started attending, and I’ve heard it has been that way all along,” Schwab said. “It’s a very generous and loving church.”

By 3 p.m. Thursday, they had given away all of the fleece scarves and a lot of the other items, too, Chasteen said.

Lewis said they also had some potholders they had given away to some people, and she estimated at least 20 people had come to the center so far that afternoon to receive items from the blessings box.

“We hope to do this again periodically and have a different kind of blessings box for other seasons,” Schwab said. “I’ve been thinking about Valentine’s Day and using more red and white things and hearts and also considering what other places we could bring the box to.”

Clothing center volunteers Cheryl Vierling and Nancy Wininger were there Thursday and were very happy the women from the church were there being a blessing to people this Christmas season.

Vierling said most of the families that had come to the center that day and received items from the blessings box were young.

“All of the blankets have been given out and went really fast, and I’m so glad,” Vierling said. “We are so excited to have members of the church here today, and we want to recognize them for their kindness and the time they’ve spent here today.”