242 baby blankets.
460 wraparound sanitary pads.
191 diapers.
399 face cloths.
All made from fabric that would have gone to the landfill if it hadn't been diverted into the busy hands of a small group of seniors at Vernon's Parkwood Retirement Resort.
The group of eight to 12 seniors gets together every Friday and forms an assembly line, with some cutting fabric, others stitching and sewing. The fabric comes from hospitals and is supplied by Interior Health, and for anyone curious about how much fabric a hospital can go through, the seniors can attest it is a lot, judging by the bags upon bags of fabric that have come to them since they started the activity in June 2023.
Only a fraction of the contents of those bags gets put into the landfill. The rest is turned into usable items that will get shipped to faraway people in need by the North Okanagan Valley Gleaners.
In a year and a half, the Parkwood residents have used the repurposed linens to create more than 5,200 items for the less fortunate. Among them are 298 strips for bandages, 55 pillow cases, 2,879 washable sanitary pads (on top of the wraparound pads), and 469 bibs. They've even added some knitted scarves and toques to the list.
The weekly activity is good for the residents' spirits, who get the feeling of doing something good for others while enjoying one another's company.
"I think it's good, after our husbands passed away, that it gives us something to do and socialize with like-minded people," one of the ladies said.
The seniors don't just donate their time; many contribute the thread needed to make the items.
"And believe me, it takes a heck of a lot of thread," said Bette Craig, who has been a Parkwood resident for five years.
For Craig, saving linen from the landfill is as much of a thrill as gifting the items to people in need.
The Gleaners regularly ship food to countries overseas and they're planning a shipment to Ethiopia, which is where many of the seniors' handcrafted items will end up.
"I was just so impressed that volunteers could do so much," Craig said, referring to when she first heard of the Gleaners, adding they do it all while only having three paid employees.
There are four people from Parkwood who go out to the Gleaners' plant several times a week to volunteer there, cutting vegetables and fruit to be dehydrated. At least two of them are over 90 years old.
Craig said the weekly assembly line is a great social time for the residents 鈥� "and we solve the problems of the world!"
That comment drew a laugh around the table, but the 5,200-plus items speak for themselves. And the residents take deserved pleasure in helping people in Ethiopia, and anywhere else in the world their items may end up.
"It is nice to feel useful," Craig said.
Marcy Kennedy, lifestyle consultant at Parkwood, said the group's good intentions know no bounds.
"So proud of these ladies for all they do. They work incredibly hard to give back to our community and beyond, on this project and whereever they can provide support," Kennedy said.
