PITTSTON — When taking a stroll down Main Street, it’s easy to notice various Christmas decorations wrapped around the lamp poles.
A closer look reveals something else around the poles — scarves.
Thanks to the Pittston Area girls basketball team, residents in need of scarves and hats to keep warm this winter need to look no further than what’s on display on Main Street.
Kathy Healey, head coach of the Lady Patriots, said the team likes to do something for every holiday season and this was the first time for hanging scarves on Main Street.
She said she found the idea online and wanted to give it a try.
“You take some extra scarves and you wrap the scarves around the pole with a note for people that may not be able to afford a scarf,” Healey said. “They can just take a scarf at random and use it.”
All 21 members of the basketball team spent their Tuesday evening wrapping 30 donated scarves and hats around the posts and attaching cards wishing the finder “Happy Holidays.”
Senior Taryn Ashby, 18, said leaving the free scarves is a great way for the team to thank the community for its support.
“It’s definitely awesome,” she said. “Every year we do something for the community, so it’s just not only about us or the team, it’s a community. Our community comes and supports us at all of our games, so why not give back to them? It’s a great thing to do and I’m definitely proud to be here with my team.”
Pittston City Mayor Jason Klush said city officials were very supportive of the cause and he immediately gave his approval for the project without hesitation.
“We just let it go,” he said. “It’s a good cause and it’s getting cold, now. I may steal some.”
As the members of the girls basketball team continued wrapping their scarves, some wondered what their feelings would be if they came through Main Street and noticed a few scarves were taken.
Senior student and a manager for the Lady Patriots, Lynn Durling, 17, said it will be a wonderful feeling to see the scarves gone.
“People that are less fortunate will have something to keep them warm and they’ll have something to remember,” she said. “With the cards, they’ll be able to remember it and know who it’s from.”
Wrapping the scarves around the poles is not the first act of generosity the girls basketball team has done during holiday season.
Last year, the team helped customers at the K-Mart and Dollar Tree stores in the Pittston Commons on South Township Boulevard Pittston Township by pulling money together and helping customers pay for gifts.
Healey said the Lady Patriots will do that again this year.
After the scarves were wrapped around the poles, the girls huddled together by the Christmas tree in the Lower Tomato Lot to congratulate each other on a job well done.
Sophomore student Brooklyn Pedana, 15, said she hopes the team continues to wrap scarves around poles for years to come.
“I hope we do it every year,” she said. ” I thought it was a good lift for the team and to let (the community) know that we’re always here to help them whenever they need help.”
