Milk bag mats.
Grade 6 students Emily Sandre (left) and Sydney Thorburn join teacher Marianne Utano and grade 5 student Rebekah Williams to show off a milk bag mat they crocheted for Haitians in need. The advent project hopes to collect enough milk bags from the students to send four mats to Haiti.
Emma Jackson
Milk and cookies for Santa is so last Christmas.
This year, bringing empty milk bags into school is the
trendier thing to do, as Grade 5 and 6 students at St Mary Catholic School
spend every lunch hour busily crocheting cushy milk bag mats for Haitians in
need.
Each mat is being hand-crocheted into a sleeping surface for
Haitians who lost their homes and belongings in last January’s devastating
earthquake. An adult-sized mat requires 500 milk bags, and a child-sized mat
needs 350, according to St Mary teacher Marianne Utano, who leads the project.
Students who attend the school located at Bank Street and Mitch Owens Road are being encouraged to
collect milk bags at home and bring them into school, where they will be
rewarded with spirit points. So far the project has collected over 1,000 bags,
she said.
Grade 6 student Sydney Thorburn, who’s mother has been
helping to wash and sort the bags, said milk bag mats are beneficial in a
number of ways.
“They’re a thick plastic, its easy just to wash off and bugs
don’t like plastic. So there aren’t bugs swarming around when they’re sleeping,
and they’re really tough,” she said. Classmate Emily Sandre added that they’re
“super comfy” too.
The project is this year’s annual advent activity at the
Catholic elementary school, where every year students take on a project to help
others during the Christmas season.
“I think it is a neat way to give our help to Haiti,” said Grade
5 student Rebekah Williams. “I think it’s a really fun and good way to show we
care, and it’s going to charity.”
Utano said they hope to send four milk bag mats to Haiti
as soon as they are finished.