In the fall of 2022, members of Lower Macungie Township’s Millbrook Chase social committee began gathering for an outreach activity reminiscent of an old-fashioned quilting bee.

Led by Susan Harwick, committee members began turning plastic grocery bags into waterproof ground cloths for the homeless.

Members of Asbury Methodist Church in Allentown, Wesley United Methodist Church in Bethlehem and Jordan U.C.C. were already constructing mats.

Harwick proposed the Millbrook Chase organization participate in this economical, environmentally responsible and ideal-for-winter project.

The suggestion was met with enthusiasm.

Harwick contacted Wendy Arbushites, Valley Health Partners Sleeping Mat Ministry organizer, who provided detailed instructions for mat construction.

VHP works in conjunction with the Lehigh Valley Health Network; one branch of VHP is devoted to street medicine. As stated on the VHP website, “VHP Street Medicine delivers primary and urgent health care to persons experiencing homelessness in the Lehigh Valley … Patients are offered numerous services and links to community partners …”

One such service is “survival support.” The waterproof mats fall into this category.

Arbushites not only assists interested groups in constructing the mats, but she also arranges for their collection and distribution.

After learning to make the mats, Harwick passed the knowledge on to the other members of the Millbrook Chase group. The first challenge was collecting the bags. This is a considerable undertaking as each mat is composed of 500 to 700 bags.

Initially, Millbrook Chase residents were asked to collect plastic bags. Group member Donna Laury also approached several local grocery stores and requested donations. Weis Markets and Wegmans responded generously. In a fortunate moment, Laury approached Wegmans on the day the company was eliminating the use of plastic bags. She was given 20,000 bags!

To create the mats, the women first cut the bags into strips which are tied together. This plastic yarn or “plarn” is wound into balls. Size S 19 mm crochet hooks are used to crochet the plarn into 6-by-3 mats. Each finished mat is rolled up and secured with braided plastic bag ropes, complete with a carrying handle. To date, the women have completed seven mats with more in production.

The group meets every other Thursday to work and to socialize. Some participants choose to work exclusively from home; others continue with the project on their own time as well as attending the gatherings.

Using plastic yarn, meeting in a club house and helping the homeless, the women of Millbrook Chase are making what was old, new. In a contemporary setting, employing modern materials, they have revived the communal connections and social service on which the traditional quilting bee was founded.