Wrapped Up in Doing Good

Judi Hindes (far left); Dorothy Dodds and Phoebe Herrington (front table); and Judy Heim, Martha McNutt, Lois Morgan and Ruth Jonas (back table, l-r)

It might not be immediately clear what the small group of women who meet each Saturday afternoon in the Social Room at Masonic Village at Sewickley are doing. Plastic bags of varying colors are strewn around the room as the women shred the bags into strips and loop them together.

All the while, they’re laughing and catching up on one another’s families and happenings at Masonic Village.

What looks like trash to some is the makings of a mat that can mean the world to a person without a place to call home. It is the art and gift of PLARN.

“Several years ago, I was at a Christmas Eve party,” Judi Hindes recalls, “and the lady next to me said she had a friend coming to Masonic Village and asked if we did PLARN. I had never heard that word before. She explained it was to help the homeless by giving them sleeping mats. That got my attention right away. I came back to Masonic Village and enlisted my buddy, Judy [Heim], and we got permission to do it. We gathered a group of 10 people, and we’re still going strong.”

PLARN stands for plastic yarn and is made from recycled, clean grocery bags without holes. Masonic Village residents donate the bags.

The PLARN group sorts them into different colors, smooths out the wrinkles and cuts each bag into loops. The loops are joined to make the PLARN, which is what they use to crochet the mats. It takes about 600 bags to complete each 3-by-6-foot mat, and each one takes a month or two to complete.

Monthly, members of the New Life Community Church, in Bellevue, go under the bridges in Pittsburgh to give homeless individuals supplies, including the mats. They’re getting a great response, according to Judi.

“They’re very appreciative,” she said. “We’re happy to do it.”

“We catch up on the latest news,” Judi said. “It’s a good feeling. We know we’re doing something worthwhile for somebody else. And at the same time, having fun while we do it. I’m blessed to be in a situation where I, myself, don’t need the help, so I feel strongly about helping others.”

She encourages others to participate in the group because it’s a direct way to make a difference in the community. It’s also a great opportunity to meet other residents.

“The best part about this project is there is something for everybody to do,” Judi said. “You don’t have to be a skilled knitter or crocheter. If, for any reason, you’re not available when we get together on Saturday afternoons, the PLARN balls can be made in your very own apartment, so there’s no getting out of it.”