Goals

​

• Collect plastic shopping bags.

• ​

• Cut the bags into 1 1/ - 2” strips.

• ​

• Looping the strips into balls of “plarn” (plastic yarn).

• ​

• Crocheting  or knitting the mats.

• ​

• Transport mats to Love Alliance, who will give out to the homeless in the Brockton area.

​

​

​

Details

​

You can take the bags from your day of shopping and use them to help make a sleeping mat for a person out in the cold. It is true!  With 400 - 500 bags, you can make a mat 6’ long and as wide as a twin bed. They help to provide a moisture barrier and retain body heat. In warmer months, they help to keep bugs away.  They are easy to carry with attached straps. They are surprisingly soft and somewhat fluffy.

​

It helps to foster community involvement as well as keeping lots of plastic bags out of landfills.

​

​

​

Conclusion

​

​

As the weather changes and you see someone who is out in the cold and the bag in your hand could be used to help, would you use it?

​

You don’t need to know how to crochet to help. Although, if you do, or would like to learn, that would be great!

​

We need people to collect plastic bags. We need some to fold the bags. We need some to cut them into strips. We even need some to loop the strips into strands of “plarn.” Of course, we need people to crochet, knit or weave.  We also need some to bring the completed mats to Love Alliance in Brockton. So, there is a job for everyone!

​

You can put in as much or as little time as you would like. The mats are approximately 6’ long and 50” wide which requires approximately 125 rows / 4 bags a row/  400 - 500 bags.

​

For more information you can google “mats for homeless from plastic bags.” You can see how groups throughout the country are making them.

​

Thank you so very much for your time and kind consideration.

​

​

sleepingmatsforthehomeless@gmail.com