Josh Imhof | staff writer

On a chilly Sunday in February, dozens of scarves mysteriously appeared around Market Square.

Tied around light poles and fences, bus stops and tree branches, the scarves turned everyday objects into display racks that bore handmade gifts. Tags attached to the items encouraged people to grab them, courtesy of a group called the Scarf Bombardiers.

These items were part of a “scarf bomb,” the group’s namesake. Scarf bombing is a trend that took off in 2014 where individuals and small groups from around the country started leaving scarves and other cold weather clothing out in public areas for passersby to take for themselves.

Since then, scarf bombing’s popularity has continued to grow.

Suzanne Volpe, head of the Scarf Bombardiers, had been hand-making scarves and other crocheted goods for more than 40 years when she caught wind of scarf bombing from a friend from Connecticut. She saw an opportunity and realized that she could use her talent for something bigger than herself.

“At some point, if you crochet or knit, you’ve given all your friends Afghan [blankets], but you want to keep making stuff,” Volpe said. “This is a good reason.”

Volpe started small in the town of Harrisburg, Pa., where she used to live. At first, she would drive around and only put out a couple hundred scarves each year. She would also come to Pittsburgh to do another smaller delivery, but it was when she moved here permanently that things really took off.

Now, Volpe delivers to neighborhoods all over the city, including East Liberty, Braddock, Uptown, North Side and Downtown. She will often place the scarves outside of churches, libraries and other places where she knows people, especially the homeless, go inside to keep warm.

While it’s important for her to help those in need, Volpe wants people to know that these scarves are for everyone.

“Everybody thinks it’s just for the homeless, and it’s not,” said Volpe. “I don’t care who you are. If you’re cold, take a scarf.”

Ten years after she started, Volpe and her Bombardiers have put out thousands of scarves. Her mission has grown larger than she ever expected it to, and she now has a network of donors and volunteers to help provide items and deliver the scarves around the city.

As her army has grown, so have her ambitions.

“I have over 2,700 scarves. It’s just amazing,” she said. “My goal is 3,000.”

But these scarves don’t just materialize overnight. The group works year-round to make sure that once winter comes, they are ready. Volunteers attend meetings every six weeks at the Penn Hills Library where they crochet, socialize and plan for the season.

This may seem like a tall task, but the Bombardiers make the most out of it.

“It’s not a lot of work. It’s a labor of love,” said Judy Bierman-Rudolph, a five-year veteran of the group.

Bierman-Rudolph began crocheting during the pandemic as a way to pass the time and wanted someone to give her many creations to. After a few Google searches, she came across Volpe’s Facebook page and decided to reach out. Since then, she has been a regular contributor to the effort.

“Since we’ve started, I’d say I’ve made a good 200 [scarves] or so,” Bierman-Rudolph said. “I usually hand off a couple dozen every other month.”

As a part-time retiree, the group also helps keep her busy and “in the groove of things.” These feelings were echoed by other volunteers, like Adrian McCoy.

McCoy is a former journalist and retired around the time she joined the Bombardiers. She has known Volpe since college and began helping her deliver the scarves Downtown when Volpe would visit from Harrisburg.

Although being retired gives McCoy more time to prioritize relationships, it also makes it harder for her to see people consistently. The group makes this easier.

“It’s really nice to just sort of get out and engage with friends and strangers,” McCoy said.

Oftentimes, these engagements happen outside of their meetings and in places where the scarves are dropped. McCoy and Volpe have both had interactions with strangers who admire and express gratitude for the scarves, including one instance where a random man offered Volpe a beer as a show of appreciation for her work.

Still, the priority is always to make someone else’s day a little warmer.

“It’s usually cold, and the weather is horrible and the sky is gray,” McCoy said. “Putting up these brightly colored things, it’s just a really good feeling.”