A lot of people that might not have been warm this winter will be thanks to a group of ladies at Christ the Redeemer Church.
For the past six years, the group has participated in Warm Up America!, a project sponsored by the Craft Yarn Council of America.
Warm Up America! was started in 1992 by a woman in Wisconsin who wanted to do something for the homeless. It has since grown into a major, national grassroots program.
According to Virginia Buchanan, she first introduced it to Christ the Redeemer after the place she had been participating in the project at decided not to do it one year. Buchanan saw the value in it though, and wasn’t ready to stop helping to warm people up in the cold winter.
‘It started with four people,? she said, ‘and we kept praying for yarn.?
The group, which has grown to include more individuals in the past six years, takes the yarn and creates afghans, both for children and adults.
Before this year’s count, the group had made over 400 afghans in the past six years. This year, the group boxed up approximately 90 afghans to deliver.
According to Buchanan, most of the adult afghans were given to St. Dominic’s in Detroit, and the children’s afghans were donated to a several different programs, such as Catholic Social Services and Crossroads for Youth.
Buchanan said that anyone can get involved in making afghans for the project.
‘All year long, they can donate unused, clean yarn or already made afghans,? she added.
The donated yarn will be used by the group to create afghans, and anyone can participate in helping the group make more. They don’t have to be a member of Christ the Redeemer.
Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Christ the Redeemer at (248)391-1621.
For those that wish to make afghans on their own, Buchanan encourages them to do so and then donate them to the church’s program.
The group, which meets from 9:30-11 a.m., will next meet on Jan. 3, 17 and 31.
‘Come November, that’s when we really need the donations,? she said.