Blanketeers gather to provide handmade blankets for children in need
By OLIVIA HOKR — city@theaggie.org
On April 10, the Yolo County chapter of Project Linus met at the Davis Senior Center to help make blankets for children in need. Project Linus, inspired by the character Linus from “Peanuts” and his comfort blanket, is an organization that provides handmade blankets for children across the country.
With more than 300 branches across the United States, Project Linus is providing hundreds of thousands of blankets for children. In its nearly 15 years of existence, the Yolo County branch has made and donated over 23,000 blankets.
Deanne Meyer, the Yolo County chapter coordinator of Project Linus, shared how the organization is providing more than just blankets.
“We have a two-fold mission,” Meyer said. “The first part is to provide blankets to children who need a sense of love, comfort and security. The second fold is to give people who are creative an outlet for their creativity.”
Meyer originally got involved with Project Linus because her daughter was looking for a public service opportunity. She has since become the coordinator for the Yolo County chapter and continues to encourage and admire the creativity of her volunteers, also referred to as “blanketeers.”
Over 30 citizens gathered at the Senior Center to donate the blankets they made and sew on the Project Linus labels. The type of blanket varies depending on the skills of the person. Some blankets are crocheted or knitted, while others can be tied or sewn together with leftover blanket pieces to reduce waste. They also focus on making different-sized blankets to promote the inclusion of all children ages zero to 18.
A Super Blanketeer, Deedra Johnson, expressed her admiration for the mission of Project Linus and the creativity of those involved.
“It is a group of incredible women, and one man, who are working together. It’s social, it’s productive [and] the product is stunning,” Johnson said.
After sewing on the Project Linus labels and doing a quality check, the blankets are then ready to be distributed to various Yolo County organizations. Some of the organizations they are donating to this month include ComuniCare, EmpowerYolo, Progress Ranch and Yolo Crisis Nursery.
In 2023, the Yolo County branch donated around 1,750 blankets. Every year they aim for a higher number than the last in order to meet the needs of local organizations.
“It’s just great knowing the blanket’s going to someone who needs a big hug and a lot of love,” Meyer said.
The inspiring and creative group of blanketeers meets the second Wednesday of every month from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. No skill is required to volunteer with Project Linus.
“It is inspirational — the creativity. Doesn’t it make you want to go sew?” Meyer said. “When someone says ‘I don’t sew,’ the answer is ‘yet.’”
Written by: Olivia Hokr — city@theaggie.org
