WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Serving those in need and protecting the environment — that’s what a Wichita church has been doing with their local outreach efforts.

The New Hope Christian Church and other volunteers have been crocheting sleeping mats for people in need over the years.

Velinda Johnson, the church’s secretary, has been participating in assembling these sleeping mats since the inception of this initiative almost three years go.

“I’m almost finished with my 28th one,” said Johnson.

Johnson says they’re currently not in need of plastic bags but rather in need of people to help crochet the sleeping mats.

“They don’t have to be perfect, they just need to be functional — something that somebody could use,” she said.

The mats are 6-feet by 3-feet long and are made completely out of plastic bags.

“I crochet the mats and it takes 500 to 700 bags to make one mat,” said Johnson.

Johnson first learned how to crochet when she was in high school, but she learned to crochet with plastic bags in the last three years.

Johnson says their church has been able to donate to many homeless shelters around the area.

“I bring them here to Breakthrough, I have taken them to Open Door and I’ve also taken them to Interfaith Ministry, which is now Human Kind,” Johnson added.

She says the plastic bags are serving more than one purpose.

“It keeps the plastic out of the landfill,” said Johnson.

Johnson says they meet at New Hope Christian Church, located at 1400 George Washington Dr, Wichita, Kan., the fourth Saturday of every month from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m.

For more information on the dates, you can go to their Facebook page, New Hope Christian Church.

LATEST STORIES: