It’s a lot of work, but the payoff is worth it.
That according to Geri Tong of Campbell AME Church, referring to the creation of sleeping mats made out of milk bags for the homeless.
Tong said 400-500 milk bags go into the creation of one mat.
Once the bags are collected, it falls upon her husband, Ken, to prepare them for crocheting. He’s tasked with cutting them all into strips.
Most of a milk bag is used, as only the top flap is lost, Tong said.
So far this year, in a little over a month, Tong said they’ve had about 2,400 milk bags donated. That doesn’t include the bags some of the volunteer crochet crew members gather on their own.
“We started this as a project through our mission society,” she said. “No two are the same.”
Tong said the mats don’t have to be made out of the milk bags.
“They can be made out of plastic shopping bags, but they are not as thick,” she said. “We make handles out of the plastic shopping bags so a person can carry the mat easily.”
Tong said the plastic mats are surprisingly warm, and durable.
“I tried crocheting one in the summer and had to stop,” she said. “Plus, bugs won’t live in them and they will dry quickly if it’s a rainy or snowy night.”
The mats may be catching on. Tong said she and other committee members took a mat to an annual missionary project conference, and the bishop liked the idea so much he said he’d like to see it made into a Canadian project.
The mats are already extending beyond Chatham-Kent’s borders.
“It’s spreading to Windsor. But these ones, I’d like to keep in Chatham-Kent,” Tong said of the mats the local members have made this year. “Once we’ve supplied to the Chatham-Kent homeless, then we can branch out.”
Finding the local homeless can be a challenge at times, but Tong said if her group knows of anyone living under the bridges or on the streets, they’ll stop by to offer a mat.
“If we can find where the homeless are at, we will gladly take them a mat and a blanket.”
Tong reminds people to appreciate what they have and to give when they can.
“There is always someone worse off than you,” she said. “In today’s day and age, that could be you tomorrow.”
To volunteer or to let the mission project personnel know of a homeless person, you can call 519-437-8602 or email tongfam@mnsi.net.
