Sheila Monaghan still remembers the day the Knit Wits came into existence.

“When I started it, we were having luncheon on a [late] friend’s porch,” said Monaghan, the charity knitting group’s coordinator. “I said, ‘Gee, I want to start a knitting group, and get people out of the house doing something during the winter months.’”

The Knit Wits created items such as hats, scarves, and mittens for the homeless. The group originally got its start through the Wareham Police Department, after Monaghan approached then-Chief Richard Stanley about getting the items distributed. Stanley assigned Officer Zina Kelsch as the group’s liason, to collect the knitted items so the police could distribute them to the homeless.

Now, five years later, the group has knitted over five thousand items, including helmet liners, neck gators, and scarves for soldiers, Monaghan said. The latter was a tad more expensive, due to the fact the soldiers’ items had to be made from wool, but the group received financial and donation support from various veterans groups around the area.

“We probably sent 100 – 150 helmet liners, but you can’t just send a big box,” Monaghan said. “You have to send it to a specific person, so we relied on residents in Great Hill Park and here who had a grandson or a relative stationed in Afghanistan.”

Despite their industrious pace, the group has a lot of fun together in the process, Monaghan said.

"We solve all the problems of the world, while we are knitting," Monaghan joked. "All of the tables in our tearoom have different conversations going on."

Monaghan said the group is “always looking for more places that we can donate different items to,” and that it appreciates any donations from individual community members or groups.

“It’s community helping community,” Monaghan said.

To donate or let the group know of individuals in need, call Sheila Monaghan at 508-273-7308, or email her at shmonaghan@verizon.net.