Operation Warm Hearts grows from college project to helping the homeless
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Asia Tabb
AIRED; March 10, 2026
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What started as a college project has grown into a regional nonprofit helping people experiencing homelessness across several counties in Central Pennsylvania.
Emily Gochenaur, founder and president of Operation Warm Hearts, said the organization began as a requirement for her social work program.
“Every social work student is required to create a macro project before graduation, and Operation Warm Hearts was my macro project,” Gochenaur said.
The project initially started as a simple knit-a-thon. Ten years later, it has expanded into a volunteer-driven effort that distributes essential items to more than 16 partner agencies each month.
Gochenaur said she never expected the project to grow into a long-running nonprofit.
“At that point in time, I’m a college student. I don’t even pay for my own cell phone,” she said. “To imagine that I would own something that would span 10 years was something I never anticipated.”
Her passion for the cause developed while volunteering at a local organization serving people experiencing homelessness. One cold night, a family came looking for a baby hat, but the only one available was worn and dirty.
“I left that night and said, I’m going to knit a hat,” Gochenaur said.
After bringing a handmade hat back the following week, she realized the need was far greater than what one person could provide.
“I might not be able to knit a hat for everybody,” she said. “But recruiting people and having volunteers—we’re going to try.”
Today, Operation Warm Hearts collects hats, scarves, no-sew blankets, brand-new socks, and donations for hygiene kits. The organization distributes items monthly to partner agencies that serve people experiencing homelessness.
Rather than sporadic donations, the nonprofit organizes distributions so agencies know exactly what they will receive throughout the year. For example, hats are delivered in January, blankets in February, and socks in March.
By coordinating volunteers and collecting items year-round, the organization is able to deliver between 100 and 200 items per month to each partner agency.
Gochenaur said homelessness in Central Pennsylvania can look different than in larger cities, but the need is still significant.
“A lot of people think of homelessness in big cities,” she said. “But there are a multitude of reasons why someone could be homeless.”
In addition to financial hardship, housing loss can happen because of unexpected events such as fires, property damage, or other emergencies that make it difficult for families to recover quickly.
Operation Warm Hearts currently works with agencies in Dauphin, Cumberland, and York counties and is gradually expanding into Lancaster County.
The organization also saw a surge in volunteers following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A lot of people picked up knitting or different crafts during that time,” Gochenaur said. “The amount of donations that come through our donation box weekly at this point is incredible.”
The nonprofit recently reached another milestone by moving into its own rented office space in Mount Holly Springs. The new location allows volunteers to gather, sort donations, and help prepare items before they are distributed.
Each donated item is packaged in a sealed plastic bag with a tag reminding the recipient that someone cares about them.
“Having this office space means so much because volunteers can now come in and help us bag and tag items,” Gochenaur said.
Right now, two of the most requested items are plastic “plarn” sleeping mats—made from crocheted grocery bags—and hygiene kits. Each hygiene kit fits inside a reusable water bottle and includes essentials such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and a razor.
Gochenaur said the goal is simple: support partner agencies by keeping critical supplies flowing so they can focus on the larger work of helping people get back on their feet.
“Our goal is to partner with those agencies and give them the supplies,” she said, “so they can do the big, heavy work.”
