Last year, a long-time Summers County resident, Kendra (KK) Ratliff, organized an outreach program to provide winter hats and scarves to the community. The outreach is called Bumblebee’s Mountain Outreach, and they are ready to give out even more hats this year.
According to Ratliff, the mission of Bumblebee’s Mountain Outreach is “to bring joy to others through even the smallest of acts.” The name is in remembrance of her brother Rex Lusk who sadly passed away in 2016. Ratliff said, “The name came from the nickname my grandfather gave him at a young age, Bumblebee, and his love for my grandfather’s farm on the mountain, which we owned together.”
In December of 2021, the outreach approached Talcott Fire Department to see if they would allow them to throw the hats they gathered during the department’s Christmas parade. They agreed, and the race was on to collect as many hats as possible. Ratliff noted that people from surrounding communities pitched in to donate “crocheted, knitted and store-bought hats and scarves.” In only two weeks, Bumblebee’s Mountain Outreach had gathered an impressive 75 hats and one scarf, which were given out during the parade. She said, “We could have given so many more to those watching the parade last year, but we were so thankful for what we had to give and to see all the smiling faces.”
This year, the outreach wants to gather at least four times the number of items to not only give out during this year’s parade but also to give Loaves and Fishes for their clients. In the future, Ratliff said they will not only continue this program but also plan other events “that will focus on acts of kindness and encouragement for those struggling with mental health issues.”
If you would like to donate items to Bumblebee’s Mountain Outreach hat drive, contact them through the Facebook page under the same name. Hats of all sizes are accepted.
