Leftover masking materials turned into blankets for homeless people and pets
A Sarnia-area company has found a way to put leftover pandemic materials to community use.
Great Pretenders, a children's dress-up costume manufacturer in Point Edward, Ont., is manufacturing blankets for homeless people and pets.
The idea stems from another switch to help at the start of the pandemic. In mid-2020, Great Pretenders started producing cloth masks.
“We ended up with a lot of people sewing. Probably 30. There were a lot of people in here sewing masks,” said Julie Donald, a product development supervisor.
But after producing over 100,000 masks, the company stopped production as health authorities recommended medical masking — that left them with 20,000 pre-cut pieces of fabric.
Then last month, Donald says a group of employees brainstormed to determine what they could do with the leftover fabric.
“We decided to start making these blankets,” she said.
Using the squares originally cut for the masks, a full-time employee sews the patches together to form a quilt-style blanket.
The employee's time is donated by the company through September. It is hoped at least 150 blankets will be complete by then.
Pauline Scouler is seen using leftover fabric from face masks to make blankets for homeless people and pets, July 11, 2022. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)“It takes about three hours to complete one quilt,” MacDonald said.
Fellow employee Chelsea Zago has been helping package and deliver the finished blankets.
She has also visited some of the clients of the River City Vineyard shelter in Sarnia. It was there, one man inspired here to keep going.
“He said until you’re in this position, a homeless position, you really don’t understand the gravity of the situation. I think that’s really important, because anyone of us could be in that position,” Zago recalled.
And for that reason, the group will keep working to help those in need — including the animals.
The group is making smaller blankets for homeless pets at the local humane society. They are also selling them for a $10 donation at Dog Eat Dog gifts in Sarnia.
Zago hopes the efforts inspire more companies to ‘sew’ together ways to recycle pandemic, or other types of manufacturing waste.
“Whether you’re in the textile industry or food industry, no matter what, you have waste. So, it’s just taking that extra time and looking at whatever you have and asking, ‘Can this serve someone else?’”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.