Princeton Hockey Team Makes Handmade Blankets For Those In Need

PRINCETON, NJ — The Princeton Youth Hockey Association (PYHA) 12U A 2007 team collected items, such as balls of yarn and fleece, to donate to the local Mercer County Chapter of Project Linus.

The team also purchased fleece in kid-friendly patterns and colors and became “blanketeers” for an afternoon following their game on Dec. 16.

Players, coaches, parents and even some siblings worked in groups of two, three or four, spreading fleece fabric out on every available floor, table and couch, knotting the four sides together to create a double-thick fleece blanket.

The blankets go towards Project Linus, a non-profit agency with chapters nationwide, with a mission to "provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets."

"They take only handmade blankets, not store bought blankets," explained Melanie Halpin, the team’s project coordinator and mother of Reilly Halpin. "These blankets are going to go to kids, like us, maybe less fortunate, in situations where they maybe they aren’t living in their home and they’re living in foster care or they are in a hospital because they have an illness and they need some comfort and love that a homemade blanket can provide."

(Image via Princeton Youth Hockey Association: Pictured from left - (back row) Reilly Halpin, Jack Trowbridge, Hart Liu Nowakoski, (third row) Ryan Garlock, Eibhleann Knox, (second row) Evan Jacob, Gavin Nau, (front row) Jack Lawrence, Cal Fenton, Connor Katz. (not pictured) Fife Akinyanmi, Brody Jenne))

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.