Las Cruces sisters tie handmade scarves to poles across town

As temperatures dip below freezing in Las Cruces, two sisters are helping the less fortunate by crocheting scarves and tying them around poles across town.

“I don’t know these people, but if I were cold and somebody gave me a scarf, it would mean the world to me,” said Sarah Jean Gomez.

The handwritten notes attached to the scarves say: “I am not lost! Please take me with you if you are cold! God bless.”

Gomez originally saw the idea online and immediately asked her sister, Carolina Hernandez, to help.

“I said, ‘This is what we’re doing,'” Gomez said. “She said, ‘Okay!’ And there we are, doing it!”

The two sisters have tied close to 50 scarves around Motel Boulevard, Amador Avenue and 17th Street. They want to focus their attention next on Valley Drive, where many homeless people travel throughout the day.

“They’re cold,” Gomez said. “I have a roof over my head. I have sweaters, I have jackets, I have clothes. Some of these people don’t have a sweater.”

Most of the scarves are handmade, but Gomez said it’s worth the time.

“If it means crocheting endless hours, then that’s what we have to do,” Gomez said.

Her goal is to help as many people as possible stay warm throughout the holiday season.

“We’re going to do it throughout the whole winter,” Gomez said. “I don’t care if I have to go and buy them at the second hand stores. We’re going to do it!”

If you’d like to help the two sisters by donating your time or gently used scarves, you can contact their non-profit, Carmen’s Closet at 575-805-4567.