When temperatures plummet in countries where U.S. troops are serving, many soldiers pull on wool knit caps that provide a layer of warmth between icy cold helmets and heads with close-cropped hair.
The helmet liners are handmade by hundreds of volunteers across the country, including Fran Resendes of Edgartown. Over the past six months, the soon-to-be nonagenarian has knitted about 50 of the caps.
Caps for soldiers stack up, as Fran Resendes keeps those knitting needles going. Photo by Ralph Stewart
Although not all of the soldiers may know where their caps came from, six in Afghanistan signed a postcard sent to Ms. Resendes, thanking her for "your thoughtful care package."
"It gives you a feeling that you're doing your part," said Ms. Resendes, who will celebrate her ninetieth birthday in June.
She learned of the project through the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), which she joined in 1975. Ms. Resendes and her three daughters are members of the Martha's Vineyard Sea Coast Defense Chapter.
Her daughter Irene Resendes learned about the hats project while attending a state DAR conference. Although the DAR does not formally sponsor the project, Patricia Gerty, a member of the Old Concord Chapter, deemed it something "right up the DAR's alley," Irene said.
Two Concord postal workers started collecting the hats from local knitters and shipping them from Wilmington, through a local organization called "Local Heroes," Ms. Gerty said. With military families, she also is collecting hats from DAR contributors for shipping in June, September, and December at Hanscom Field.
Irene came back with a pattern and started knitting the caps. The project caught her mother's interest as a good cause. "She lived through World War II, and remembers things people did to support the troops," Irene said.
Although Ms. Resendes used to knit, she said, "It took awhile, to get back into the swing of it." Now, however, she finishes a new cap about every three days.
She knits the pullover, plain-style caps with black 100 percent wool, which she said is required because synthetics are flammable.
"I enjoy it - and it takes up time," Ms. Resendes said. "I have to be doing something with my hands all the time. I don't usually work on them during the day - it's just late afternoon and early evening."
In the meantime she continues to keep up with her other activities, which include quilting. "She often tells me, I'm burning daylight - I've got to be doing something," Irene said.
In recognition of Ms. Resendes' volunteer contribution to the hat project, her DAR chapter recently nominated her for a community service award.
According to the DAR's website, the award is given in recognition of outstanding contribution to the community through civic, benevolent, or heroic acts by citizens from a variety of walks of life. The recipient must have outstanding voluntary service in cultural, educational, humanitarian, patriotic, historical, citizenship, environmental conservation, or organized community endeavors.
DAR members are eligible to receive the award if the community service is unrelated to their DAR activities.
A native Islander, Ms. Resendes grew up in Edgartown, home of her ancestor Zachariah Pease, an Army private who fought in the battle at Bunker Hill.
Ms. Resendes started first grade in 1925 in the newly built red brick Edgartown School, since replaced by the current building completed in 2003. She attended the St. Luke's School of Nursing in New Bedford, where she met her husband, Albert Resendes. After graduating in 1940, she worked as a maternity nurse at St. Luke's for 30 years, and her husband operated a commercial business in New Bedford.
They moved back to the Vineyard in 1973, where Ms. Resendes worked in the emergency department at Martha's Vineyard Hospital until retiring in 1984. Mr. Resendes worked at the Harbor View Hotel. He died in 1983.
In addition to her DAR involvement, Ms. Resendes volunteered for many years with the Martha's Vineyard Hospital Auxiliary, handling donations for the "tree of lights."
Her three daughters all live in Edgartown. Irene works at Martha's Vineyard Insurance Agency and Jo-Ann Resendes as Edgartown's principal assessor. Their sister Mary Vancour retired from a job with the Edgartown Council of Aging.
For those interested in the caps project, visit the website www.theshipsproject.com for guidelines and information. In addition to caps, the organization known as "The Ships Project" sends handmade slippers, cool-ties and cool-heads to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines deployed across the world, made by more than 1,000 individuals, as well as dozens of church and civic groups.
