By Ruby Thomas, Record Staff Writer
St. Gabriel School students in sixth- through eighth-grades have been working on a Lenten project to make bedrolls for the homeless by recycling hundreds of plastic shopping bags.
The students meet on Tuesdays after school to cut up bags and loop the pieces together to make plastic yarn or “plarn,” said Martha Tribbey, one of the religion teachers leading the project. The plarn is then crocheted to make the bedroll, said Tribbey. The students and teachers involved in the project watched a video online about how to make the beds, she noted.
It takes between 300 and 400 plastic bags to make one bedroll and several hours to complete. Tribbey said her daughter, who is skilled at crocheting, can make a bedroll in five hours. It may take up to 30 hours for someone less experienced to complete one.
Tribbey said, laughing, that it’s “amazing” the number of plastic pieces flying everywhere. What is even more amazing, she said, is how the entire school has become involved. Even first-graders are bringing in old plastic shopping bags from home, she noted, and some kids are using free time, including recess, to cut bags and make plarn.
The project started in Tribbey’s seventh- and eighth-grade classes. Then the sixth-graders joined in. The sixth-grade religion teacher, Angela Langenkamp, knows how to crochet, said Tribbey, so she’s helping to lead the project.
They hope to complete seven bedrolls by the project’s end. When completed, the bedrolls will be three-feet wide and six-feet long.
“It’s surprising how soft they are,” said Tribbey. “They do not attract bedbugs and lice and they make a nice barrier from the dampness of the ground.”
The project, noted Tribbey, has “raised the students’ awareness” about the plight of the homeless.
It also proved what can be done when people “reach out to each other,” she added. “You can accomplish so much.”
Tribbey hopes to have the bedrolls blessed before donating them to the Franciscan Shelter House, which serves homeless individuals.
