Starting last November, the MMM Stitchers came together to learn sewing skills and used them to help various causes, such as making Christmas stockings for the Veterans Affairs hospital last December. The stitchers, employees of the law firm Morris, Manning and Martin in Buckhead, took on a new challenge on National Blanket Day for Project Linus.
On Feb. 18, using their new skills, the group of 20 stitched 56 blankets for the national organization that distributes the blankets to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need.
“We wanted to do something like this here,” said co-leader Melitta Ellington. “Whether it was making the blankets or mentoring someone to create one, we wanted to make sure that this project was not only fun, but a way to help someone in need.”
The effort benefitted Project Linus’ Northwest Atlanta chapter which provides blankets to local children’s hospitals such as Scottish Rite, shelters, and to children who have lost a parent in Iraq or Afghanistan. “There are so many stories on what a difference a blanket has made to each child that receives one. It provides a sense of security to them,” said chapter co-coordinate Marleen Manley.
The project was embraced by the employees who found a personal connection with the project. “Somehow everyone gets affected by cancer and we found out that one of our colleagues had received two blankets from Project Linus,” added Ellington. “It definitely made the project more meaningful than it already was.”
The MMM Stitchers’ blankets add to the 25,000 blankets that the Atlanta chapter has distributed since it started in 2000. The nonprofit also distributes to burn camps, lupus camps, and an arthritis camp.
When the blankets were distributed, the feeling was overwhelming. Co-leader and stitcher Mary Alice Bancroft said, “Seeing the gratitude really has an effect because you realize that you can pay it forward by doing something you already enjoy. It really is an amazing feeling.”
For information on Project Linus, visit www.projectlinus.org
In Other News: On Feb. 8-9, volunteers from The Home Depot and Operation Homefront renovated Sgt. 1st Class Mark Allen's front and back yards providing more accessibility. While serving in Afghanistan in 2009, Allen suffered a gunshot wound to the head which confined him to a wheelchair. The volunteers assembled a play set and shed, created a concrete walk and turnaround area in the backyard, provided landscaping, and installed a fence making the Allens' Loganville home more wheelchair accessible. As part of The Home Depot Foundation's $30 million commitment to fund the housing needs of veterans, Team Depot volunteers are partnering with many nonprofit organizations, like Operation Homefront, to identify high priority projects to assist the families of our service members and wounded warriors.
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