Get Involved
Mittens for Detroit
Help us warm hearts in Detroit, two hands at a time.
Be part of the solution
Donate
When winter hits Detroit, it hits hard — especially for those who are unhoused or in transition. We all know how much colder a day can feel without gloves.
For thousands of children and adults across our city, a simple pair is a luxury they can't afford.
Thanks to people like you, Mittens for Detroit has worked with nearly 100 partners to distribute more than a quarter-million pairs of mittens and gloves across Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Dearborn, and Pontiac. It's a small thing that makes a big difference.
Now we're setting our sights on next winter — and our goal of 30,000+ new pairs. Your tax-deductible gift helps us purchase mittens and gloves when our Community Collection can't fully meet the needs of the shelters, schools, veterans' groups, and agencies we serve.
Donate by Check:
Made out to Mittens for Detroit and mailed to:
Mittens for Detroit,
Attn: W. Shepherd,
PO Box 721427,
Berkley, MI 48072
Increase your Impact
Join our Handwarming Heroes Circle.
Since our first group of Handwarming Heroes joined in August 2018, more than $25,000 have been donated as of July 2024! We very much appreciate our generous donors – we hope you will join Team Mittens with a donation today! Thank you! (Sorry… Cape is not included!)
Want an easy way to show your support all year long? As a Handwarming Hero, your recurring monthly gift (starting at just $10) helps us plan ahead and stay strong through the summer months, when donations typically slow down. You'll also get perks as our thank-you: advance notice of events, discounted fundraiser tickets, MFD Merch discounts, and the occasional surprise goodie!
Volunteer Opportunities
The Big Sort
Come Sort with Us!
Every winter, Mittens for Detroit distributes an average of 30,000 pairs of new mittens and gloves — and none of it happens without volunteers. That's where The Big Sort comes in. From September through March, groups of 2–15 people spend 2–3 hours at our downtown Detroit office sorting pairs by size, counting them, and boxing them up for our Distribution Partners. It's hands-on, it's fun, and many Big Sorters come back year after year. It's also a great fit for businesses, schools, sororities, fraternities, clubs, and social groups looking for a meaningful teambuilding experience or a holiday activity with heart. Dates and times are flexible — we'd love to make it work for your group. Every pair you process is one more pair of warm hands this winter.
Become a Corporate Partner
Mittens for Detroit is fortunate to have a great array of businesses and companies sharing their energy and resources to support us in many creative ways. Here are a few examples that you and your company can provide new, warm mittens and gloves this year:
Kids Helping Kids
Mittens for Detroit is helping kids help kids, making it easy for them to take action on behalf of others. Kids can’t do it without their grown-ups, and we hope that you will help them as their schools, clubs, and organizations open up
Every pair you process is one more pair of warm hands this winter.
In 2010, Mittens for Detroit began collecting, purchasing, and distributing new mittens and gloves for people in need across Detroit. Within a couple of years, many pairs were coming from kid-led collections — school projects, scout troops, religious groups — through MittenRaisers in Novi, Dearborn, Farmington, Grosse Pointe, and beyond (even an elementary school near Albany, NY). Lemonade stands, robotics team drives, knitting circles — kids showed up. The pandemic paused a lot of that in 2020, but we still miss the energy those young philanthropists brought.
Every winter, Mittens for Detroit distributes an average of 30,000 pairs of new mittens and gloves — and none of it happens without volunteers.
That's where The Big Sort comes in. From September through March, groups of 2–15 people spend 2–3 hours at our downtown Detroit office sorting pairs by size, counting, and boxing them for our Distribution Partners. It's hands-on, it's fun, and many Big Sorters come back year after year.
It's a great fit for businesses, schools, sororities, fraternities, clubs, and social groups looking for a meaningful teambuilding activity or holiday event with heart. Dates and times are flexible — we'll make it work for your group. Every pair you process is one more pair of warm hands this winter.
Parents/Special Adults/Teachers:
Kids can receive community service hours for volunteering. Mittens for Detroit is a 501(c)(3), and work that they do to help others stay warm can be counted towards these hours. Kids ages 16 and older can come to our office to count, sort, and box up pairs for pick up by our Distribution Partners. Coordinating a MittenRaiser with student council, a scout troop, or part of a religious celebration are all great ways to help in the community.
Please note: Any groups of kids must be accompanied by an appropriate number of adults. Thank you.
Thanks for helping the kids do good work!
#GivingWarmthIsCool!
Make Mittens!
Mittens have been handmade since prehistoric times, when humans found out that they could create coverings for their hands! We’ve come a long way since those early days, and the pairs Mittens for Detroit receives show so many variations on a theme! The one constant is that people who make mittens understand their purpose – to provide warmth for hands on cold winter days.