DE PERE WIS. (NBC 26). A plastic bag can transform someone’s entire life.
Jayne Black is a community member who wants to show that they are more than just a grocery cart driver.
She stated, “Every stitch you make is a reminder that someone out there is experiencing homelessness.”
Black shows Northeast Wisconsinites how plastic bags can be transformed into sleeping mats, to benefit the environment as well as those in need.
She taught De Pere girls Saturday. The mats they made will be donated to St. John’s Homeless Shelter, Green Bay.
Black said, “Seventy-nine hundred plastic bags equals one waterproof mattress for someone experiencing homelessness.” “And I have just committed myself to this.”
The two-and-a half by 6-foot mat takes almost 60 hours to weave.
Black stated, “Only nine per cent of these plastic bags are properly recycled.”
Black’s personal project, “Art for a Cause”, is the source of the sleeping mats. She got the idea from “One Plastic Bag”.
Black said, “When these events are done, the trickle effects is amazing.” “Because one girl is going to teach another girl that way.”
Isabella Edwards is a Neenah resident. She was one of more than a dozen volunteers who stitched the plastic bags.
Edwards stated, “I know it’s helping somebody and I really enjoy helping people.” “Because they are less fortunate than mine, and I know that it is possible to help them and make their lives a little easier.”
After hours of work, Black claims she’ll never again look at a bag the same.
She said, “There are things we can do to make the environment better than what we are doing.” “We can do better, and this one is one small step to help.”