This post was such a hit last time we ran it, so we are running it again to help give you a great project idea for your unit!
You can help homeless veterans AND benefit the environment at the same time. By collecting plastic bags and crocheting them into sleeping mats, you can give a homeless veteran a soft place to lay his or her head and help keep plastic bags out of oceans and landfills.
Maria Mendez-Young and other American Legion Auxiliary members in California are part of an initiative to create and provide these sleeping mats to homeless veterans in their community.
Each 6-foot-by-2½-foot mat is made from 600 to 700 recycled plastic grocery bags and takes about 50 hours to make.
“They are lightweight, waterproof, and, from what I hear, bugs stay away from them,” Mendez-Young said.
Other groups across the country are doing similar projcts. Interested in learning how your crocheting or knitting craft can help homeless veterans? Follow these steps:
For more information on what Mendez-Young and American Legion Auxiliary Unit 291 are up to, click here.
In the spirit of Service, Not Self, the mission of the American Legion Auxiliary is to support The American Legion and to honor the sacrifice of those who serve by enhancing the lives of our veterans, military, and their families, both at home and abroad. For God and Country, we advocate for veterans, educate our citizens, mentor youth, and promote patriotism, good citizenship, peace and security.