Crocheting for a charitable cause

MOKANE, Mo. - Starting Monday, plastic bags will have a bigger meaning for elementary and middle school students in South Callaway.

The program, which will be offered after school ends, will be a place where students can learn to crochet while also benefiting charity.

The difference? Instead of using yarn, students will be turning plastic bags into mats to donate to homeless and animal shelters.

Danielle Hecktor, the middle school instructional coach and program leader, was looking for creative activities to do with her daughter when crocheting came into play. How-to videos on Facebook showed Hecktor that an alternative to the expensive yarn was to plastic shopping bags.

Knowing the elementary school had a Green Team for a recycling initiative, Hecktor approached elementary math teacher Gretchen Hanna to get the ball rolling on a project that both fills the purpose of Hanna's Green Team initiative, while also contributing to charity.

"It's a great way to help the environment and help others in need," Hecktor said.

The six by four mats keep blankets from getting wet, prevents cold air from sneaking in and are "pretty much indestructible," she added. To make one mat the students will need to crochet together 1,000 bags, starting with folding the bags into circular bands and linking them together. On Monday, the students will begin preparing the plastic and learning the beginning steps of crocheting.

Hecktor said parents and students alike are interested in lending a hand, and it will be a productive environment to have middle school students and elementary students interacting with each other.

"Some of the middle school students that are coming have experience with crocheting and will help teach the younger kids how to do it," Hecktor said. "It's fun making bonds, and the mentorship from the older kids will create a sibling-like relationship."

While Hecktor has already received plenty of plastic bags, she is in need of extra crochet hooks for the program.