Rindge First Congregational Church is hosting a day to give back, through the nonprofit Project Linus, which provides blankets to children who are ill, traumatized or in need.
On Saturday, May 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rindge Town Meeting House, the Rindge First Congregational Church Charity Crafters group is sponsoring a four-hour event to create blankets for the charity. The group and community volunteers will be making single-layer polar fleece blankets, all of which will be donated to Project Linus.
Coffee, water and sweets will be provided. Volunteers can come for the entire event or part. Residents can also drop off completed projects for donation, or bring a current project to work on. Volunteers do not need any prior knowledge. More-experienced volunteers will be providing assistance with how to make crocheted-edge, braided or fringe-edged blankets throughout the day.
Those who wish to participate are asked to bring their own materials, including a pair of sharp scissors and 1 1/2 to two yards of fleece, or, for a donation, fleece will be provided. There is no sewing required.
The Southwest New Hampshire Chapter of Project Linus, which serves Cheshire, Hillsborough, Merrimack and Sullivan counties, has delivered more than 33,000 handmade blankets since 2007 to children both locally and abroad.
Donations from the chapter have gone to children at Monadnock Community Hospital, Cheshire Medical Center, Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter, Shelter from the Storm in Jaffrey, the Keene and Concord Division of Children, Youth and Families, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, The Grapevine Community Center in Antrim, Concord Hospital, Elliot Pediatrics in Manchester, Feeding Tiny Tummies in Keene, Head Start programs in Manchester, Hillsborough, Jaffrey, Ashuelot, Keene, Swanzey, Claremont, Nashua and Concord, The Pass Along Project for foster care children, Friends of Forgotten Children in Concord and Catholic Medical Center Special Care Nursery, as well as for Ukraine relief efforts. In 2021, the Southwest New Hampshire Chapter delivered over 6,000 handmade blankets.
For information or to register for the Make a Blanket Day, contact Robyn Manley at 603-588-2427 or robynprojectlinus@gmail.com. To learn more about Project Linus, visit the chapter Facebook page at Project Linus Southwest NH Chapter, or visit the national website at projectlinus.org.