Ministry members at Holy Cross Catholic Church in St. Petersburg gather weekly to create mats for those experiencing homelessness. Mats such as these provide much needed comfort to those who are often sleeping on the ground. These are made entirely of plastic bags from local stores such as Publix, Walmart, or Winn Dixie. Each mat can be rolled and features a carrying strap so that people can keep them as they change locations.

This began many years ago after Pat Morrison was intrigued as she saw her cousin crocheting these with her mother. She asked to learn and was directed to a YouTube video where she was taught how to crochet these mats.

“I found one that I liked and started crocheting myself,” explained Morrison. “I brought one to the church, and they liked the idea. We just advertised for volunteers.” This ministry gained traction, bringing in volunteers with a variety of skill levels. 

“You don’t have to know how to crochet. There’s always something to do since there are different steps to it.”

Plastic bags are first cut into strips and made into plastic yarn, or “plarn” as it is often called, then connected into balls, before being crocheted. Each week, the group has approximately 10 volunteers working on all aspects of the creation. In the last three years alone, they have created and distributed hundreds of mats.

Connie, one of the ministry members, has a personal connection to giving back. When her father was a teen, he lived on the streets for a time. As he later had a family of his own, he would contribute in assisting the homeless.

“When he got older, he would bring people home to stay with us that were homeless,” Connie recalled. 

“When I started back to church here and heard about this ministry, I thought ‘I’m going to do that in honor of my dad.’”

Connie not only was inspired by those experiences to help others, but they led her to help make these mats inclusive of a variety of people.

“My dad was six-two. I thought ‘what happens if there’s a homeless person that’s really tall?’ so I decided to start making the mats longer,” she explained. “That’s my little thing to honor my father.”

In addition to longer mats, other volunteers make some that are wider so that it can fit both a person and their dog. Periodically, they will also make small pouches that hold toiletries like soap and shampoo or pouches that can be worn around a person’s neck to hold their ID or other personal information.

“We made some personal pouches because sometimes people steal their backpacks and all of their information is in there,” commented Morrison.

What may seem like a one-time use item such as a plastic bag can mean comfort and care to those experiencing homelessness. Ministries such as this one are doing their part to recognize the dignity of every person.

All are welcome to join the ministry at Holy Cross Catholic Church in St. Petersburg. They meet on Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. in the small hall. They are also happy to teach others so that more parishes can include this ministry. Knowledge of and experience with crocheting is not required.