Service Sunday

Hi everyone! I don't know what the weather is like where you live, but today is overcast, drizzly, and chilly. I love it :) I love days that make me want to put on warm, comfy clothes, snuggle with my family, and curl up with a blanket...which is what made me think of this week's charity organization: Project Linus (named after the lovable Peanuts character who loved his blankie).

Project Linus was founded in 1995, and their mission is to provide, love, warmth and comfort, through a new handmade blanket, to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need.

Since their start, they have have delivered over 3 million (!) blankets to children in need. There are hundreds of chapters across the US with thousands of volunteers (called "blanketeers"), and you could be one too!

One of the stories that I read on their website a few years ago has really stuck with me. It told of a little boy who was taken out of his home for his own safety, and was taken to a local hospital where he was being looked over and would stay there until local authorities could decide what to do with him. The nurse who told the story said that she peeked into his room that night to check on him, and she could just see the terror on his face - of everything that he had endured, and of what faced him in his uncertain future. She went to the hospital's supply of Project Linus blankets, and picked out an especially nice one for him. When she went back to his room, and wrapped him in the blanket, and explained that the blanket was for him and that he could keep it and take it with him wherever he went, his eyes brightened and he was able to relax enough to get some sleep that night.

I've crocheted a blanket for each of my children that they've used since they were babies. They still like to be put to bed with them, and snuggle with them...there is security in being wrapped in a handmade blanket. I know it seems like such a small thing, but blankets can be such a huge comfort.

If you're interested, Project Linus accepts blankets of all kinds (quilts, afghans, fleece, etc.). More information can be found HERE.

Happy Sunday!!