Many crochet groups come together to socialize and share their love of the craft. But the Saint Benedict’s Crochet and Crafts group came together for a cause. They crochet individual blankets to give to children living away from home.
Providing Comfort to Kids
The vision got started when the group met children from Catholic Charities’ unaccompanied minor program (UMP) during a retreat. Rebecca Stewart from Saint Benedict’s explains that “we were saddened to learn that there are not enough blankets for the children to keep with them after they leave the program.”
Children in the unaccompanied minor program stay with foster families until they can be reunited with their birth parents or move into a permanent home. Often, they have journeyed through many hardships with little consistency or objects that remind them of safe places.
Created with Love
The Crochet and Crafts group from Saint Benedict’s parish began to handcraft blankets with the goal to create enough handmade blankets for each child to keep, even after they move on from Catholic Charities.
The UMP program is just one of several Catholic Charities programs to benefit from the handmade blankets. Saint Benedict also plans to donate a set of blankets to Catholic Charities’ domestic violence shelter, My Sisters’ Place as well as other programs serving families.
The Crochet and Crafts group meets every Tuesday and agrees that “making the blankets is a great way to join together in serving others by providing a sense of comfort and joy.”
For more information, please contact Alcira Pastula at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
