A 9-year-old boy from Lakewood is making a difference to the community in the cold season in a very unusual way.
He along with three generations of his family are knitting warm hats for anyone who might be stuck out in the cold this season and in need.
Alex Reins brought along three generations of his family together at a little nook inside the Belmar Library in Lakewood.
They knitted hats for the underprivileged to wear during the unforgiving winter months.
“In case they’re out in the cold and don’t have enough money to get a hat,” the 9-year-old said.
Alex saw a news article last year that caught his attention. “It was of a person who was discharged from the hospital in a hospital gown and socks waiting at a bus stop in the snow,” he said.
“His big heart saw that and he thought, ‘We just need to do something to help other people,’” explained his great-aunt Cherie DeHerrera.
His mother, Bri Reins, knows that it was in their family to care for others. “It doesn’t take much to help somebody,” she said. “We learned that from our family. From my parents, from my aunts, from my grandma. They all taught us to give back to other people.”
Alex, his mother, and his three great-aunts are all sitting around a table, knitting hats for rank strangers who they never will know, as Bri said they’ve made over 300 hats and scarves in what they’ve dubbed: Alex’s Warm Hat Project. Anyone who wants to contribute time, supplies, or clothing they’ve knit to the cause are welcome to join.
Alex’s aunt Judy Lockwood drops them off at the Larimer County Food Banks in Loveland and Fort Collins as well as the 137 Homeless Shelter in Loveland.
Bri said giving back and helping people is not a process. “You can turn a ball of yarn into something beautiful,” she said.
Alex understands the value of giving his time to helping others in need as he says, “I just wanted to help more people,” he said. Knitting away. “There could be a lot of people out there like that.”