Sarah, who's been on Red Deer streets for at least the last six years, received a new mat donated by a group of volunteers on Dec. 13 in Red Deer. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

a layer off the ground

Plarning donation gives comfort to those who have very little

Dec 13, 2023 | 4:50 PM

For six years, Sarah has been surviving on Red Deer’s streets.

Seated on the ground in an alley adjacent Turning Point, she spoke to rdnewsNOW, just a few minutes after being the beneficiary of a special mat, ‘plarned’ by a group of caring women from Innisfail.

Plarning, or plastic yarning, is used by the group to create six-foot-long mats to be utilized by those experiencing homelessness.

The mat offers Sarah just that much more comfort in a world where that luxury isn’t very plentiful right now.

Sixteen mats, made from grocery bags, were donated to Turning Point on Wednesday and will be distributed based on need. It’s the group’s fourth donation.

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“Don’t ever come down here unless you have to,” Sarah emotionally told rdnewsNOW, referring to making an effort to avoid having to sleep rough, on the streets. “It’s a hard place to leave once you come. The people at Turning Point are wonderful though. It always feels like I’m around family when I come here. Other times, I’ll just sit in there and cry where nobody else can see.”

She also thanked the women who made the mats, noting their durability, compactability, warmth and hygienic features. Because the mats are plastic, they are resistant to bugs and other bacteria.

Meantime, those women — Teressa Greening, Colleen Preston, Val Audette, Carol Dahmer and Carol Conn, are beyond happy to help yet again.

The whole team is pictured here plarning away on 16 mats for Turning Point clients. (Supplied)

Each mat takes up to 80 hours to complete, with the bags needing to be cleaned and cut — and they’ve been working on this batch of 16 since last Christmas.

“We just want to help these people, who aren’t able to get off the ground, to have at least one layer off of it. That means a lot to us. It’s why we persevere throughout the year,” says Greening, with the Innisfail Seniors Drop-In Society. “It’s one at a time, and it’s about compassion. I feel for them so much. It breaks my heart that people have to be on the streets.”

An added bonus, she notes, is that it keeps plastic bags out of the landfill.

If anyone wants to get involved, the group plarns from 1-4 every Wednesday at the Innisfail Seniors Drop-In Centre.

Sarah Thompson, Operations Lead at Turning Point, calls the group’s effort phenomenal.

“So much of what we get for our clients are donated, and especially with hygiene concerns, we can’t give out regular blankets and sheets. That’s why these mats are amazing,” says Thompson, adding that Turning Point and its clients would really appreciate more donations of gift cards, hygiene products, especially for men, as well as soft and high fibre/protein non-perishables such as granola bars.

L-R: Colleen Preston, Val Audette, Sarah Thompson (of Turning Point) and Teressa Greening after the ladies from the Innisfail Seniors Drop-In dropped off their 16 plarned mats at Turning Point on Dec. 13. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“Homelessness doesn’t discriminate. It is not just addicted or vulnerable populations. We have many working folks and they end up on the streets. Often, a tent is someone’s home.”

Thompson notes the barriers people face, most notably the rising cost of living and the rental market not being accessible to those with very low incomes.

“A helping hand can go a long way, especially with the vulnerable population,” Thompson adds. “Agencies such as ours are few and far between, but our clients need love, support and care like everyone else.”

To find out more about plarning, contact Teressa Greening at 403-886-5438, and to learn more about Turning Point, visit turningpoint-ca.org.

READ MORE

• City of Red Deer releases Point in Time (PiT) homeless count numbers
• Shelter gets 15-month extension as wait for permanent site drags into 2024
• Canadian cities report rise in homelessness and in tent fires as winter sets in

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