Volunteers knit plastic bags into mats to help the homeless

By Elizabeth Marie Himchak

By crocheting plastic shopping bags together, local volunteers are helping the homeless stay warm while simultaneously helping the environment.

For their effort to succeed, they need to collect thousands of non-biodegradable, used plastic shopping bags — such as those from many grocery and department stores.

On Tuesday night in Poway a couple dozen local high school students were taught how to make plarn mats. The apprentices will become teachers on March 22 when they show seniors in a low-income apartment complex in downtown San Diego how to make plarn — plastic yarn. It is formed by cutting plastic grocery bags into strips that are tied together to form a waterproof yarn-like material that can be crocheted into 3-foot by 6-foot mats.

The project is the Rancho Bernardo-based Friends & Family Community Connection’s latest endeavor to help the homeless.

FFCC Founder Phil Harris said plarn mats are the perfect solution to not only providing waterproof, warm bedding to those sleeping on the streets, in parks and canyons, but a solution to some environmental problems. He said FFCC often distributes traditional blankets to the homeless, but after a week or so — especially if it rains — the blankets must be discarded because they have become very wet and dirty. Often, blankets are left along roadways or other areas where the homeless take shelter.

The light-weight plarn mats, however, can be rinsed off, dry quickly, don’t get smelly and due to the plastic’s thermal qualities, provide a warm barrier between the person and the ground. They can be used much longer than blankets and since it typically takes around 800 grocery bags to make a mat, this provides a way to keep bags out of the landfill and ocean.

“They are superior to the typical wool-cotton blanket,” he said. “(The homeless) love them.”

Harris said his Dream Dinners employee, Diane Hickox, introduced him to plarn mats late last year.

Hickox, a member of Tabitha Ministries at Living Way Church in Poway, said her group’s dozen members started making the mats in November. Their work to make the mats, along with blankets for nursing home residents, baby bonnets, pillow cases for kids with cancer and tote bags for pregnancy crisis centers, is inspired by Dorcas — nicknamed Tabitha — in Acts 9:36-42, who was known for helping the poor.

Hickox said while there has been a lot of support with getting donated bags, the endeavor has gotten a slow start because it takes about one month for a volunteer to crochet a mat. This is why FFCC training others is crucial to help the estimated 10,000 homeless in the city of San Diego stay warm. While some may not know how to crochet, even young children can help with the prep work to form balls of plarn.

Westview High juniors Kasey Hetzel and Natalie Ressler, part of their campus’ Fight Against Hunger Club, were among those trained on Tuesday and will be teaching the seniors next week.

“Our goal is to help others ... who are not as fortunate as we are,” Hetzel said. “We are blessed to live where we live. God put us here for a reason, to help others.”

“It’s super easy, anyone can do (this project),” Ressler said, adding, “It means so little to us, but so much (to the homeless).”

The girls said they plan to hold plastic bag drives on their campus. Bags can also be left at Dream Dinners, 12218 Poway Road in Poway.

For directions on how to make plarn, go to

https://tinyurl.com/orlpbd3

.