Sewing, knitting or crocheting, it's all about comfort

Two years ago, Barb Kirby was knitting hats. Because she loves volunteering, she had knitted so many hats that she had no idea what to do with them.

“I donated all the hats I knitted – I sent over 50 of them to the cancer clinic in Saskatoon and kept some locally,” said the knitter from Battlefords.

After putting her needles away for a while, a colleague told her about the group and she was intrigued, especially after learning about one particular aspect of the group. She explained that volunteering was for everyone and that the organization had set up a plan for those who couldn't afford to constantly buy supplies.

“You buy the wool, knit your first blanket and donate it,” Kirby said.

From there, the organization provides the volunteers with the wool for their blankets after the first donation.

“So you’re actually buying the wool for a blanket.”

Now, as administrator of the new Battlefords chapter, she is working with her colleague to build up the group.

“We’re trying to figure out how we can explore and expand on that and how we can source blankets,” she said.

Matchett said last year they had an “influx of volunteers” and were able to donate 1,500 angel blankets to the maternity ward and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), but now they wanted to shift the focus to another cause.

The security blanket was developed to help children living in foster care, in crisis or in a women's shelter to cope with a potentially traumatic situation.

“I saw the need on both sides,” she said, adding that she also received positive feedback from the hospital and child protective services.

“Sometimes these children have nothing and come from a bad situation. Then you give them something to comfort them,” she said.

“Or it's something they get when they have nothing else… it's something they know they can take with them if they have to move to a new foster home, it's something that's theirs.”

Kirby, for her part, said that now that summer is coming to an end, more creatives are coming forward.

“It's more of a cozy winter thing that you do sitting in front of the fire,” she said, noting that she is interested in starting knitting circles or involving organizations or schools.

“I'm open to whatever people want to do to make this work,” she said, noting that people are simply encouraged to come out and show kindness.

“Whether it's the child coming into the system … or the old lady who's in the county nursing home and has no family, if you bring them a blanket, it's a thing of comfort.”

The organization currently employs over 250 volunteers not only in the province but across North America, and is now present in 11 communities across Saskatchewan.

For more information, visit the Prairie Blankets for Angels Sask Facebook page.

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