Fiber Fairies Are Back In Morristown, Bringing Warmth To Those In Need

MORRISTOWN, NJ — As the temperatures continue to drop this winter, Morristown is once again littered with free scarves, hats, and gloves, meaning the fiber fairy must be back in town and bringing warm tidings to all.

The cherished fiber fairies are back, adorning the Morristown Green with warm winter clothing for anyone in need as winter draws near.

Three of the four founding members of The Morristown Fiber Fairy were born and raised in Morristown. In February 2014, the group was composed of two adults, one college student, and an 8th grader.

The Fiber Fairy, who was given that name by a family member, explained in a previous interview that they would choose to remain anonymous in order to avoid detracting from the message.

"Having lived in Morristown, we grew up seeing people on The Green who were experiencing homelessness. It is so easy to separate yourself from the struggles of others and to walk past them without making eye contact or giving much thought to their suffering. But they are people, and each one comes with their own unique story," they said.

In February 2014, the group founded the Morristown Fiber Fairy in an effort to raise awareness of the homeless population in Morristown. They started asking for donations of winter hats and scarves on Facebook with the intention of placing these items on the statues on The Green for those who are experiencing homelessness or on the verge of poverty.

"A hat or a scarf may seem trivial when the bigger issue is homelessness, but warm clothing is incredibly important, especially to someone living outside. These items could help people stay just warm enough to not freeze to death or to develop frostbite on their hands," they said.

They anticipate that by the end of the initiative's ninth winter season, 900 hats and scarves will have been placed on the Morristown statues.

In 2018, there were fears that the project would have to come to an end because the Morristown Fiber Fairies were no longer close enough to place hats and scarves every week. They had relocated from Morristown to Sussex County.

"I believe it was the mayor’s wife, Mary Dougherty, who suggested that we create a signup form online and ask people to volunteer not only to provide winter hats and scarves, but to place them on the statues as well. In no time every weekend from November through March was filled by amazing volunteers from all over North Jersey," they said.

This is how they have operated since late 2018. Every year the Fiber Fairy says they get repeat volunteers as well as new ones. "The volunteers love doing it and we truly appreciate that they have helped us keep this project alive."

Monarch Housing Associates, a non-profit based in Cranford, recently released its 2022 Point-In-Time Count of the Homeless report, which includes data collected by county staff, government officials and local nonprofit organizations that surveyed people staying outdoors in late January.

On the night of Jan. 25, 2022, a total of 6,631 households, including 8,754 people, were experiencing homelessness in the State of New Jersey, according to the 2022 Point-In-Time Count.

The report shows that Morris County had a total of 351 homeless people as of January, which represents four percent of the state's unhoused population. In Morristown, 140 people were counted, which is about 40 percent of the county's overall total.

"A question we are often asked is, 'how do you know if the people who take the winter items are truly in need?' My response is always this, 'we would rather help as many people as we can, even if some don’t really need the help, than not help anyone and miss the opportunity to help those who need it most of all,'" they said.