TAMPA, Fla. — Nurses at Tampa General Hospital have discovered a unique way to help the Tampa Bay area’s homeless population. Sterile surgical wraps used to protect operating room instruments are normally discarded. Now they're being recycled and sewn together for a very special purpose — sleeping bags. <div class="Figure-credit" itemprop="author">WFTS WFTS

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“The beauty of this material is that it conserves heat and it’s waterproof,” said nurse anesthetist Nicole Hubbard, who first heard about the sleeping bag idea on social media.

RN Karley Wright sent out an email to fellow hospital employees asking for help with sewing the bags.

The response, she says, was “overwhelming.”

So far employees at Tampa General have helped make about 100 sterile wrap sleeping bags to be dispersed to area homeless.

But they’re just getting started.

For more information on how to help with the sleeping bag project, contact Tampa General Hospital’s volunteer office here .

This story was originally published by Sean Daly at WFTS.