The floor of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence (CUE) is covered from wall to wall with different patterns of fabric, ranging from flannel print, horses, space themes, dogs and many more. Volunteers are all sprawled out across the room, cutting and tying the material together to create a blanket. 

 

The blankets are being made for Haven of Rest Ministries, an organization that helps provide for the homeless. These blankets will be given to people who have been affected by homelessness and maybe without a source of heat. 

 

“These little things leave a lasting impression,” said Jane Rader, one of the service leaders for the day of service.  

 

Over 50 volunteers worked together on different blankets, many groups finishing two or more blankets each. At least 5 boxes of blankets were stacked up against the wall, ready to be sent to the Haven of Rest Ministries. 

 

“It’s not only rewarding for you, but it also helps the people around you,” said volunteer, Abigail Kubasek, an integrated language sophomore. “Especially with something like making tie blankets, because it is going to a shelter so close. I feel like that is really special because you can actually see the effect it’s having as opposed to it being shipped somewhere far away or money that you never see how it’s spent.” 

 

Reflecting after the service projects, volunteers talked about the importance of making these blankets to donate to people who will need them. 

 

Some of the volunteers talked about how important it was for them to have the opportunity to know that someone will be in a better state after they are given something that the volunteers were making. 

 

“There are other people who are going through circumstances way worse than I am, so I feel like since I am able to do these things and give back, that I should,” said volunteer, Kira Gordon, a junior accounting major.

 

Contact Sara Crawford at [email protected].