Care Wear Volunteers is a nationwide group of volunteers who knit, crochet, and/or sew handmade baby items to hospitals. All Care Wear Volunteers’ items are given free to infants, children and their parents.

Care Wear Volunteers began in 1991 as a personal effort to provide much needed apparel for premature and low birthweight infants undergoing treatment in neonatal intensive care units of several children’s hospitals in the Washington, D.C. area. Because of the high demand for preemie-sized items, efforts began to recruit others to join the effort. As of February 1998, Care Wear Volunteers had grown to more than 1500 active volunteers. As of December 1996, more than 28,000 hats-as well as large numbers of kimonos, booties, blankets, teddy bears, bibs, burial gowns, finger puppets, incubator covers, mittens, mattress covers, and cloth animals-have been distributed.

Local Care Wear Volunteers and March of Dimes relationships have been going on for years. In January 2003, a national clothing donation program was established. Care Wear Volunteers have included March of Dimes as another avenue where clothing items can be donated.