Found But Not Lost Returns this Valentine’s Day

Bryant Park’s Found But Not Lost program started modestly enough in the summer of 2015 when Knitty City owner Pearl Chin, the instructor at Bryant Park Knits, began to direct her students to create scarves that would be made available the following winter to park visitors in need of warm neckwear.

That winter, we had 116 scarves and each one was affixed with a tag saying “Found but not Lost. This scarf was made with love for a person in need of warmth. Please take me! Holiday wishes from Bryant Park and Knitty City.”

It was such a hit, we repeated it the next year, with a twist. As Alice Cashman, Bryant Park’s Associate Director of Events, told NY1, “These scarves are made with love. And so, we wanted people to have them on Valentine's Day. They can take a scarf and give it to their loved one, or more importantly they can give it to a person in need.” We’re now in our third year, and we have Valentine’s Day in mind again. On that day, nearly 300 colorful scarves will be hung throughout the park.

Word has spread of this delightful program, and we have benefitted from the participation of members of the public offering their services.

Last year, Susan Wengrofsky of San Francisco contributed 10 beautiful scarves, and this year, she upped that to 12. She says she participates in the program for the past two years because she likes this “direct connection.”  Elizabeth Schipp also contacted Ms. Cashman directly and asked if she could donate crocheted scarves. The answer was yes, and Ms. Schipp created more than 25 gorgeous scarves for the program.

We thank everybody who contributed time, effort, and materials to make this happen.