Comforting the ghosts of the streets

INNISFAIL – There are ghosts on town streets that are rarely noticed.

But a special group of ladies at the Innisfail Seniors Drop-In Centre is on a special loving mission to take care of all of them, and many more throughout Central Alberta.

“I have seen people on the streets in Innisfail. They are like ghosts out there but nobody wants to see them,” said Eileen Reid, the centre’s coordinator, adding it’s difficult to tally a number of them. “I got thinking about seniors and how hard it is for them. And I thought about the people on the street and it could happen to any one of us.”

Reid and volunteer 63-year-old Roberta Driver are leading a group of eight women from the centre who have launched the Plarning Project as a way to help the community’s most marginalized.

“Everybody needs a helping hand, whether they like it or not,” said Driver, a resident of Innisfail for the last three years who has her own personal challenges. “I have been there. I have used the food bank. I come from a violent background.”

Plarn is short for plastic yarn. Plarning is defined as the "upcycling" of plastic grocery or produce bags to turn them into yarn for crocheting, knitting or braiding. The local Plarning Project, which began at the centre last October, was hatched from an idea created by Dawn Warmbold from Arkansas who wanted to help the homeless through a unique and creative initiative that was both humanitarian and environmentally progressive.

By using hundreds and even thousands of plastic bags, including extra large tire bags donated by Innisfail Tire & Lube and OK Tire, the ladies, who meet every Wednesday at the centre at 1:30 p.m., are crocheting plarn sleeping bags for the poorest of the poor.

The process starts with every donated bag cut into long plastic strips. They are then joined together and rolled into a ball, and crocheted to create a mat. The mats the ladies are creating are typically six feet long by three and a half feet wide. For the user the plarning mat, which is considered “remarkably” comfortable, has the extra benefit of being easily portable. They are extra light and can be rolled up and with a string or rope can be carried around on a shoulder.

While the ladies have so far completed seven mats, it is a time- consuming process. They estimate it takes 50 to 60 hours just to finish one.

Reid said the completed mats will eventually find a home at the many different programs in the area for the homeless.

In the meantime, the group is putting out a call for more volunteers. If any citizen is interested in being part of the local Plarning Project he or she can call Reid at the drop-in centre at 403-227-6601.