Betty Bates knitted hats for more than 1,100 hours last year for Catholic Charities. Much of the yarn she used was donated, resulting in many striped patterns and designs. She is shown Thursday in Lewiston. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
AUBURN — Betty Bates learned to knit from her mother and then honed her skills over several decades at her Gamage Avenue home.
Last year, at age 88, Bates logged 1,107 volunteer hours knitting for the Catholic Charities Maine SEARCH (Seek Elderly Alone, Renew Courage & Hope) program in Androscoggin County.
Bates was among 165 volunteers named in the 2021 volunteer “roll of honor” put together by Gov. Janet Mills’ administration and Volunteer Maine. The honor roll gives statewide recognition “to adults and youths who go above and beyond by devoting 500 hours or more of volunteer service to Maine communities between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2021.
The honor roll was announced in June, and Bates was among six named to the honor roll who volunteer for SEARCH.
Bates, who now lives at the Sarah Frye Home on Washington Street, lived for 73 years at a house on Gamage Avenue.
At the age of nine, she moved into the house with her family and ended up living there with her husband of 54 years, raising a daughter. (She was not shy about saying the current owners have let it fall into disrepair.)
She said she picked up knitting from her mother, who knit for many years making items for Red Cross as well as a local dealer for larger department stores in New York City.
“So I was brought up with knitting around me all my life really,” she said, adding that she made herself clothing when she was younger, and made sweaters and other items for her daughter as she grew up.
Some of the hats Betty Bates knitted over more than 1,100 hours last year for Catholic Charities. Much of the yarn she used was donated, resulting in many striped patterns and designs. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
When her husband died and she could no longer take care of the house on Gamage Avenue, she ended up at Barker Mill Arms and then, two years ago, at Sarah Frye. She said because she is “not a reader” and not really a fan of television, she has looked to knitting to keep her busy.
She heard about the SEARCH program, and got to work knitting hats, mittens and other items. Hats are her go-to.
Bates also receives donated yarn from multiple sources, meaning she has a steady variety of colors and types. Due to the variety, she can get creative with hat designs. She said she is lucky she does not have to buy much yarn, so she works with what she has. Some hats may have stripes or other designs based on the colors she has available.
Lewiston resident Barbara Hughes, profiled last year in the Sun Journal, logged 1,440 hours in 2021. In 2020, it was 1,500.
“Our knitters not only knit for our SEARCH seniors, but they also support many other local, charitable programs,” said SEARCH Program Director Wendy Russell.
The items, which can also include slippers, baby sweaters, scarves, afghans, lap robes and blankets, go to organizations, including The Salvation Army, Trinity Jubilee Center, Hope Haven Gospel Mission and New Beginnings.
“We are incredibly grateful for these volunteers and for the time they have dedicated to several of our programs around the state,” said Kelly Day, director of Volunteer Services at Catholic Charities Maine. “Our work of providing help and creating hope for Maine’s most vulnerable depends on a robust volunteer network.
“We congratulate all of our faithful volunteers and thank them for their invaluable services to CCM, to their neighbors and to Maine communities where CCM provides services.”
Bates said prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she attended a banquet luncheon where she met some of the other volunteer knitters, but she said the coronavirus has hampered their ability to gather with others.
She does not have family locally, but she still keeps in regular contact with a group of fellow members of the Edward Little High School Class of 1952. Until COVID-19, they got together weekly. Now, they keep in touch via telephone.
When the volunteer honor roll was announced this year, Bates received a plaque honoring her service. When asked how long she intended to volunteer, she said she plans to keep knitting as long as her eyesight “holds up.”
She recently got a hummingbird feeder, allowing her to sit and knit while watching the birds.
Know someone with a deep well of unlimited public spirit? Someone who gives of their time to make their community a better place? Then nominate them for Kudos. Send their name and the place where they do their good deeds to reporter Andrew Rice at arice@sunjournal.com and we’ll do the rest.
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