ATHOL – Now in its 10th year, the annual ‘scarf bombing,’ which helps those in need through the winter months, will return this weekend.

As it has from the beginning, the event is organized by Ann Willhite, owner of Déjà Vu Women’s Consignment in Athol. Volunteers arrive at the store, grab bags full of winter accessories, then spread out along Main Street and several side streets to hang scarfs, mittens and other items from trees, signs, parking meters – anywhere they can be hung – so that they are easily available to anyone in need of such items.

Willhite said anyone who would like to help distribute the items is free to show up at the store.

“I have everything all organized in bags,” said Willhite, “and the people know what they have to do. I’ve got a nice core of volunteers that show up every year.”

Willhite said she usually has hot chocolate or hot cider and donuts available at the store. This year didn’t see quite as many donations as in the past – Willhite estimates that 400 items have been collected, as opposed to a previous year when more than 600 were distributed.

“We’re a little low this year, but that’s still a lot of items and peoples’ generosity is always so uplifting to me; people make things by hand and purchase things brand new,” she added. “It’s not just folks cleaning out their closet and getting rid of last year’s things.”

Willhite said very few of the items hung around downtown go uncollected.

“Honestly, there’s almost never anything left,” she added. “I do drive around to make sure. There may be a handful of things that aren’t taken but I’ve never had to go around and gather them up.”

Willhite said the list of items distributed throughout downtown has expanded beyond just scarves over the years.

“We do scarves, hats, mittens, gloves, and in the last few years I’ve added winter socks because a lot of times socks are overlooked, and they are pretty important,” she said.

Dozens of the items available for distribution this year have been collected by volunteers with the Athol Teen Advisory Council.

“The collect at the high school and also at the library,” said Willhite. “This year they collected 65 items, which is very significant. Fifty is what we usually put out by the Y and the bus stop, so they basically took care of that area for us. It’s a great bunch of kids.”

The group, for youth ages 12 to 18, is advised by Emily Boughton, according to Willhite. Boughton is Athol Public Library’s young adult library technician.

Once the items have been distributed around downtown, they are available free to anyone who finds themselves in need of a scarf, hat, mittens, gloves, or socks.

Anyone interested in volunteering this Sunday, Jan. 12, can show up at noon at Déjà Vu Women’s Consignment, 479 Main St., in Athol. The event usually ends around 2 p.m. The current forecast for Sunday calls for partly sunny skies with highs in the low 30s, so volunteers are advised to dress warmly.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.