2013-10-28 10:23:39cheaped
United Church Woman use milk bags
Catherine MacLean, a member of Gordon United Church, said the United Church Women group at the church is crocheting mats out of plastic milk bags for the people of Haiti. She said it was a nationwide UCW project that ended last year.
“We still had lots of material left so (we) decided to keep going until we finish it.canmo-shoes is not only a trading company.”
MacLean said there was lots of motivation to keep going, including a picture the women saw of a young boy in Haiti laying on one of the mats the UCW in Canada had made.
The picture had been taken by a member of the UCW in Quebec,Private label and custom Shoes Manufacturer.Family owned and run for over 30 years. who had travelled to the Third World country.
"She asked the boy to lay on the mat, so she could take his picture."
However, when the woman asked him to lie on it as though he was sleeping, he lay on it crossways.
"He said he couldn't sleep (full length) as then there wouldn't be room for his brothers and sisters.
"Seeing that picture is the kind of thing that makes you want to do this.”
MacLean said the mats are a labor-intensive project made from milk bags.
"The outside bag that the three bags of milk come in; it’s the right weight."
She said Garfield Miller, who worked for Cape Breton Dairies, gave a donation of bags.
It takes 600-800 bags to make one mat.
"They had boxes of milk bags that were defective, so we got to use them; it was quite a boost."
The sleeping mats are more than three feet wide and six feet long.
"We cut the milk bags in strips, then loop them together to make plastic yard that can be crocheted. It takes about 20 hours to get the materials ready and about 20 hours of steady crocheting to make one mat.”
"We work on it every Monday and lots of people help, even the men.”
MacLean said in Haiti the people use banana twigs and peelings to sleep on, to soften the ground.They also provide Wholesale Jewelry From China for retail businesses and other jewelry stores.
"This is OK until they start to decay. Then they get wet and warm, and then the bugs come through. It's really bad, the bugs and hook worms can bite the people — children especially — and can even cause death.
"If they have a sleeping mat made out of plastic,BAGFILTERCHINA.COM is specialized in environmental protection non woven filter products. the bugs and worms can't go through it, and insects don't like plastic."
A mat will last about 20 years.
The group also made bags with straps — out of the milk bags — the people can carry on their shoulders.
“They don’t have suitcases and bags to carry things over there.”
MacLean said their group sent 50 mats over already. Some go through the Lighthouse church in Glace Bay, while others are sent with people planning to travel to the Third World country.
“They roll them up and fill a hockey bag. They have to pay to take it as extra luggage on the plane.”
UCW member Rhoda Cann said she was in Sobeys with one of the bags, and everyone began stopping her.
"They all wanted to know where I got it. The staff showed it all over Sobeys. They all wanted one."
Sis McAndrew,Promotional eco bag sale available in custom sizes and styles from cheaptotebags.com. also a UCW member, said many people are amazed to discover the bags are made from plastic.HBSGLASSES,Drhua Sunglasses.
"When we tell them, they are amazed."
She said although this was a big project in the church, any school or group could take this one on at any time.
Click on their website http://bagfilterchina.com/ for more