The Lenawee County church group invites volunteers to learn how to make the recycled mats at the next Ladies Proverbs 3:24 Project work morning.
Having a soft place to sleep can be hard enough in Lenawee County for homeless people.
A group of local women is trying to make their resting place a bit more comfortable by crafting hand-made sleeping mats from recycled plastic shopping bags.
鈥淭here was one group that was already doing it, and theirs are going to Detroit (through a relative),鈥� said Dawn Sarrault of St. John鈥檚 Lutheran Church, which will host a workshop to start another batch. The Adrian congregation聽is one of聽several churches that have adopted the project.
The women鈥檚 group is named after Proverbs 3:24, a Bible verse that states: 鈥淚f you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.鈥�
鈥淪omebody found that verse in the Bible, and thought that really went along with the mats, to help people have a good rest,鈥� said Candi Sandera, a member of the Ladies Proverbs 3:24 Project. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 how we came up with the name.鈥�
The craft project begins by cutting plastic bags into sections that form loops. The loops then are tied together to make balls of plastic yarn, or 鈥減larn.鈥� Then, over weeks and months, volunteers crochet the strands of plarn row by row until they鈥檝e created a blanket-like mat.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like it鈥檚 a sweater,鈥� Sarrault said 鈥淚t鈥檚 not that difficult. They鈥檙e pretty forgiving.鈥�
Volunteers crocheted at home throughout the winter months, at a few church activities such as the Kids Against Hunger meal-packing day and even while watching the Super Bowl. The first batch of mats finally were completed聽in March. Because聽stores often use different colored bags, especially near certain holidays, the plarn mats reflect Easter purples, springtime yellows or the black and orange of Halloween. A few have been showcased on YouTube videos on the internet.
Because the mats are crocheted, they鈥檙e thicker than most blankets and form a good layer beneath a person laying on them.
Growing numbers of homeless 鈥� including women 鈥� stayed overnight at the Share the Warmth shelter in Adrian last year. It became especially notable last winter when the old facility鈥檚 two small guest rooms set aside for women reached capacity. Each room had five women before winter ended. Share the Warmth will start providing overnight shelter soon at a temporary site at the old Adrian Training School this winter.
鈥淚 think they are the coolest things,鈥� said Helen Henricks, director of Share the Warmth, 鈥渁nd I鈥檇 heard about them but I鈥檇 never seen one other than on YouTube videos.鈥�
Last year鈥檚 recycled mat project included members of St. John鈥檚 and Hope Lutheran churches, friends and even one of the homeless women, who helped to make plarn.
鈥淲e saw some other groups had done this, and it seemed to fit right in with Share the Warmth,鈥� Sandera said.
While the group has plenty of bags and plarn stored, the effort needs more people willing to learn how to聽crochet. Several volunteers learned the basics by working on the project last winter.
鈥淢aybe we can get more churches involved,鈥� Bill Riordan, a homeless advocate, said last spring.
Anyone interested is welcome to join other volunteers learning how to do weave the mats from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday,聽Oct. 28, at St. John鈥檚 Lutheran聽Church, 3448 N. Adrian Highway.
The Ladies Proverbs 3:24 group already has plenty聽of empty shopping bags. What it needs, organizers said, are people to learn and help.
鈥淲e had a good group last year, close to 50 people,鈥� Sandera said. 鈥淚t was a fun morning.鈥�
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