Bloomfield Volunteers Turn Plastic Bags Into Mats For Homeless

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The idea was simple: turn something wasteful – plastic shopping bags – into something that positively impacts people’s lives.

Over the past several months, a group of volunteers in Bloomfield have been creating “dream mats” to help homeless people sleep a little bit more comfortably. The project has been as much of an environmental effort as a humanitarian one, organizers said.

Since October, organizations such as the Bloomfield Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, Bloomfield Public Library and the Recycling Committee have been leading classes for volunteers, teaching them how to weave and stitch the mats from their unassuming components.

A few weeks ago, with help from the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Committee, the mats were donated to nonprofit Livingston Philanthropies Inc., which distributed the mats to people in the Essex County area.

• See related article: Essex County Homeless Population Rises For 4th Straight Year

The effort was praised by all involved.

“I’d like to extend my congratulations to the many volunteers and organizers who conceptualized this creative and environmentally responsible project and made this a reality,” Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia said. “Thanks to their hard work, Essex County residents experiencing hardship will be a little more comfortable.”

Bloomfield Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Director Michael Sceurman called the project “really noble.”

“I’d like to thank my recreation leader in charge of this project for her effort, along with the countless number of volunteers and community organizations,” Sceurman said.

“Bloomfield residents are all about coming together to help their neighbors in need,” Councilwoman Wartyna Davis said.

“We’ve seen that with our annual season of giving, when residents donate thousands of pounds of food and clothing, on our Day of Service, where we’ve assembled thousands of hygiene kits for the past two years, and this Dream Mats Project,” said Davis, who founded the Bloomfield Day of Service Committee.

“This was a great collaborative project that took hours of volunteers’ time, and brought the community together for a good cause,” said Councilwoman Jenny Mundell, liaison to the Bloomfield Public Library Board of Trustees and Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs Advisory Committee.

“I’d like to thank the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, Public Library, Recycling Committee, and the Day of Service Committee for their vision, and Livingston Philanthropies for making sure these mats are given to people who need them the most,” Mundell added.

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