Like many who took up new hobbies during the pandemic, Austin Rivers found comfort in knitting. But his craft took on a larger meaning when he realized his scarves and hats could also support his New York City queer community. He was particularly eager to help homeless LGBTQ youth, who make up 40% of the state’s homeless youth population.
“I don’t have the capacity to build a shelter, the network or the connections to help in that way, but what I can do is knit,” Rivers said. “And I know that New York City is cold, so I decided I would start knitting and create this nonprofit.”
Today, Knit the Rainbow is powered by the help of 550 knitters nationwide who donate their handmade garments to Rivers and his team. To date, the organization has distributed over 25,000 garments to LGBTQ youth through local nonprofits in New York, New Jersey, Chicago and Detroit.
On “Days of Action,” volunteers sit in Rivers’ apartment, unboxing hundreds of garments sent by knitters across the country. The items are then placed in boxes and marked for their destination during the group’s distribution days. In New York, Rivers and his team make many of the deliveries themselves.
As the holiday season approaches, Rivers said it’s important that homeless LGBTQ youth know they are not alone.
“There are thousands of people out here that are constantly thinking of you and using their hands to make things for you,” he said. “So don’t give up. Keep going.”
Watch how Knit the Rainbow gets scarves in the hands of LGBTQ youth in the video above.
