Crochet club collected plastic grocery bags throughout early October to create sleeping mats for Dallas’ homeless population.
Senior Cate Garcia came to club sponsor and ASL teacher Marta Mentesana with the idea last year.
“I thought it was a great idea,” Mentesana said. “I wanted to go through with it because I live uptown and I pass homeless people every day on my way to work.”

To create the mats, the donated bags were cut into strips, tied together and then rolled into a ‘plarn,’ or plastic yarn, ball. The ‘plarn’ will be used to crochet sleeping mats for homeless people.
“I’m really excited to make them because I have never used plastic to crochet before,” Garcia said. “I’m also excited to pass [the sleeping mats] out when they are done and be able to help someone with recycled bags.”

Mentesana said she hopes to have a few mats done by the end of the semester so that they can distribute them before it gets too cold outside. The club will donate the mats to an organization to distribute if they make too many to distribute by hand.
“I have seen the homeless population firsthand in Dallas, and they need our help,” Mentesana said. “It will be cool to actually see our work out in the world.”