The Gift of a Plastic Bag
You open the closet door to find plastic bags upon plastic bags cluttering your shelves thinking you might be able to use them for something. But what? Maybe to pick up after the dog? Or maybe you’ll carry your lunch to work or school in one of those bags. Perhaps you’ll attempt to find a place that actually recycles plastic bags. No! You’ll use it to line your bathroom trashcan. But how about another use that I bet has never crossed your mind: using them to make plastic mats for the homeless to sleep on. That’s what the MA:TS project is all about.
Jennifer Balcirak is leading the project and is doing it with her church, First United Methodist of Denton. She says the MA:TS acronym stands for Ministry in Action: Transforming Sacks. When reading an issue of “North Texas Reporter,” a United Methodist-affiliated newspaper, she saw a youth group in Arkansas had done the project.
“I thought, man, that is really cool because I really like to be involved with the homeless,” said Balcirak, also mentioning how it was a cheap way to start doing something. “And then I thought, what if we made this intergenerational and we brought in youth, and college students, and older adults. And then, because I certainly don’t have skills, how to crochet. I don’t know how to crochet a bag together.”
It takes about 500-700 average-sized plastic bags (think grocery) to make one 6-by-2 mat.
She chuckles at the massive amount needed, “That’s why I need the bags.”
So far, they’ve collected about 560 bags since the project was first read about mid-June. Right now, they are just collecting bags while trying to raise awareness of the project.
“[We’re] just sort of collecting the bags and then telling people why they’re collecting em. And we have a Facebook page that gives all the information. Just spreading the word verbally, more than anything,” said Andrea Gordon, Balcirak’s friend and a fellow volunteer.
Gordon will also be assisting with the project. Gordon has done projects working with the homeless, but never anything like this. She said she’s really excited to see who all they will reach and to see everyone who’s going to be involved, whether it’s making mats, handing them out, or just bringing bags.
So how exactly do you construct these mats? First, cut out the bottom and the handles, and then cut the remaining bag into four length-wise. After that, take those strips and roll them up, then start crocheting like you would any other project...if you know how to crochet, that is.
Neither Balcirak and Gordon know how to crochet.
“I can knit,” said Gordon, “I don’t really know how to crochet, but I’m gonna learn. They say crocheting is the reverse- like you do it backwards. I don’t know.”
Enter Cheryl Bruno. Bruno, a member at Balcirak’s church, is an avid crocheter, and after watching the videos on how to crochet the bags, she will then teach the other volunteers in hopes that they will pass on the skill to others and can start making mats themselves. Bruno has been crocheting since her mother taught her at the age of five, which she jokingly mentioned, “I could do that before I could ride a bike.”
Bruno likes the idea, but did admit at first she wasn’t sure what to think.
“Well, at first, it’s kind of ‘What?! You’re doing what grocery bags?” said Bruno. “And then she (Balcirak) posted a video showing how and what to the Facebook page, and it all just made sense.”
Bruno also talked about her thoughts while crocheting the mats. She says because the motion is so repetitive and methodical, she has a lot of time to reflect and think.
“You wonder about who’s going to get this. What’s their story? Why are they homeless? Are they homeless by choice? Because that once in a while happens. Or are they homeless because of a bad situation?”
Gordon says she likes the project because it’s bring the community together “to help another part of the community that seems to be forgotten a lot of times.”
She also adds, “I just think it’s important to reach out to everybody and anybody you an. This is just one of the easy ways to reach out to the community.”
You don’t necessarily have to jump out of the car when you see a bag bouncing down the Wal-Mart parking lot, but do think of what you can do with the bag. Think of how you can help others with such a simple thing.
Here's a brief video of how to get started! Obviously, I am a master videographer.
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