BALTIMORE, MD — The Department of Public Works (DPW) is pleased to announce that it has collected hundreds of mittens, hats, scarves, and gloves during the 2015 Mitten Tree Campaign, which concluded this week.
This year’s Mitten Tree Campaign drew donations from the Internal Revenue Service’s Baltimore Call Center, and from DPW and the Departments of Transportation and General Services employees. Additional City agencies contributed to the campaign as well as individuals who walked in and hung their donations on the towering Mitten Tree located in the lobby of the Abel Wolman Building. 

“In this season of giving, Baltimore City workers and members of the community have joined together to ensure that children have the basic necessities needed to fight off the winter cold — hats, gloves, scarves and mittens,” said DPW Director Rudolph S. Chow, P.E. “This type of generosity reflects the true meaning of the holidays, when we come together as a community to support one another.”

Donations consisted of a wide variety of colorful mittens, hats, scarves, and gloves. Many of the donated items were hand-knitted, reflecting the care that many Baltimore residents have for the City’s youngest residents. Even a few shirts and hoodies were donated to make sure children stay warm. These donated items will go to the Salvation Army’s Franklin Square Boys and Girls Club, 215 Calhoun Street in West Baltimore. 

To mark the start of the 2015 Mitten Tree Campaign, leaders from DPW and the Departments of Transportation and General Services hosted a ceremony on Dec. 10 featuring music by the Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Jazz Band, and the Abbottston Elementary School choir and a special appearance by Santa Claus! The Franklin Square Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club also performed. 
The City’s Annual Mitten Tree Celebration started in the early 1970s with the Department of Recreation as the initial sponsor of this annual Baltimore City tradition.