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ANCHOR INTRO: As breast cancer is known to be a disease taking the tolls of many lives, one local group is helping survivors through knitting. TV2’s Jarrod Evangelist has more.

Warm heads, warm necks and warm hearts, that’s the goal set by the on-campus group “Knitting for Those in Need.”

On the fourth floor of the Kent State library every semester, they ask the community to come together and knit for a good cause in their Knitathon event, regardless of your experience.

With the large amounts of yarn and supplies available, people can create goods such as hats, gloves and scarves, which are given to local groups throughout Portage County including the Kent State Women’s Center and Kent Social Services.

“Knitting for Those in Need” member Campbell Garth says the group’s production efforts have met their personal goals.

“In the past year we’ve done over 100 items easily. Our goal last semester was 100 hat and scarves and we nearly completed it. We’re doing really well.”

While the group continues to knit for 12 straight hours knitting hat, gloves and scarves for the local communities, it recently joined efforts with a national campaign.

Knitted Knockers are knitted prosthetics for women who have been through a mastectomy. The knits are an alternative to expensive silicone prosthetics with these being more confortable and soft.

Founder of “Knitting for Those in Need” Diane Baldridge joined efforts with the charity this February and is the only provider of the knits in the state of Ohio.

Knitted for Those in Need Student President Julie Tecco thinks it’s a way to expand the helping the group provides.

“They’re preferable and they’re free. We try to help out every group that we can. Our horizons keep opening up.”

With over 50 thousand mastectomies in the nation every year, the knitted pieces are well needed. The group plans to contact local hospitals and cancer societies to make them more available to the community.

For TV2 KSU, I’m Jarrod Evangelist