What began as a simple way for two Glen Cove City Hall employees to spend their lunch breaks has grown into a charitable effort that brings residents together, one stitch at a time.
For the past five years, Sue Tripp and Angie Colangelo have shared a love of knitting and crocheting, meeting in a City Hall conference room to work on handmade projects. What started as a small lunchtime activity eventually developed into an evening Knitting Club, a group whose members now dedicate their time and talents to helping veterans and others in need.
This fall, the club is preparing for its second annual Veterans Day donation drive, hoping to build on last year’s success, when members and community supporters collected 1,656 clothing and comfort items for disabled veterans.
The effort exceeded the club’s original goal of 1,111 items, a number chosen to represent Veterans Day, Nov. 11; the 11th month, the 11th day.
“We hoped to collect 1,111 items for Veterans Day, and our community answered in a big way,” Tripp said following last year’s collection. “Reaching 1,656 items shows how deeply Glen Cove honors its veterans, with every stitch given in gratitude.”
Tripp, who works in the mayor’s office, recalled how the club began meeting during their lunch hours.
“We would always come down here for lunch,” she said. “But Angie and I were the regulars. We were always down here. We just crocheted during our lunch hour.”
Both women learned their craft at a young age from their mothers. Over the years, they continued developing their skills, even attending an adult education class at Glen Cove High School to learn additional techniques.
Their hobby took on a new direction after Colangelo, who works in the city’s Building Department, met Kate Csillag, a knitting and crocheting instructor who was considering opening a yarn store in Glen Cove.
Csillag had approached the department while exploring the possibility of establishing her business. Colangelo was intrigued by the idea and believed a storefront offering knitting lessons would benefit the community.
Although Csillag ultimately decided against opening the store, the encounter led to an unexpected partnership.
Colangelo suggested bringing Csillag’s instruction to City Hall, where employees and community members could gather after work. With Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck’s approval, the group began meeting in the conference room, transforming their lunchtime hobby into an organized evening activity.
“This is all volunteer,” Colangelo said. “Everything we do with this is volunteering our time.”
Csillag, who learned to knit and crochet when she was about 5, had already been providing free lessons and materials to people throughout the area. Opening a business, she realized, would have required charging for services she preferred to offer without cost.
Instead, she continued teaching through community knitting groups, including gatherings at the Glen Cove Public Library, Glen Cove Senior Center, Congregation Tifereth Israel and Bayville Community Center.
Her students have ranged from young children to first-time knitters in their 80s, demonstrating how a shared interest can connect people across generations.
“When we have that shared experience, we can look past our age difference, our race difference, our gender difference, and just enjoy stitching, and learn from each other,” Csillag said.
Although the groups enjoy learning new techniques and socializing, charitable work has become a central part of their activities.
Throughout the year, participants create handmade items for organizations serving people experiencing homelessness, children and individuals facing medical challenges. Their contributions have included blankets, hats and other knitted or crocheted necessities.
The Veterans Day drive, however, holds particular significance for the group.
Csillag said her family’s connections to military service make supporting veterans especially meaningful. The initiative began last year and proved so successful that members decided to organize another collection.
The 2025 drive brought together numerous community organizations, including the Glen Cove Senior Center Knitting Club, which contributed 200 handmade items, Bayville Hooks and Needles, Knit and Crochet with Kate, Glen Cove High School DECA students, the Glen Cove Police Benevolent Association and employees from several City Hall departments.
Donations included scarves, hats, gloves, sweaters, blankets, socks, underwear and other essentials. Contributions weren’t limited to handmade goods, allowing residents who did not knit or crochet to participate by purchasing new clothing and necessities.
The items were presented to representatives of Disabled American Veterans, including John F. Scalesi Jr., senior vice president of DAV New York State, and James Brown, a New York chapter adjutant. Both are U.S. Army veterans.
“We all want to pay back to the people who served before us,” Scalesi said.
For Tripp, crocheting also provides a welcome opportunity to unwind from the demands of everyday life.
“It is my peace and quiet,” she said. “I truly enjoy it.”
Yet the satisfaction extends beyond completing a project. Tripp said knowing that her work will benefit someone who served the country gives the activity a deeper purpose.
“It’s my way of giving,” she said.
Colangelo expressed similar feelings, describing the sense of accomplishment that comes from finishing a handmade scarf or blanket and knowing it will help another person.
“We have all become now a knitting, crocheting family group,” she said.
As Veterans Day approaches, the club is inviting residents, businesses, schools and community organizations to contribute new or handmade clothing and comfort items.
Donations will be accepted through Nov. 1 at the Building Department or mayor’s office on the third floor of Glen Cove City Hall, 9 Glen St., Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All collected items will benefit veterans through the Disabled American Veterans network.
For Colangelo, the initiative illustrates how even a small group of volunteers can make a meaningful contribution.
“We’ve done so many little things for so many needs that people have,” she said. “You just don’t realize the difference this tiny group can make.”
