770 plastic bags and 35 hours: How a group of seniors is working to help homeless Iowans
Joyce Miller takes cut-up strips of a plastic Target bag and expertly ties the ends together one-by-one before rolling the completed strand into a near-perfect ball of yarn. With an almost assembly line-like efficiency, the 83-year-old passes the material on to her friend Cathy Kownacki, who masterfully weaves the pieces together using her thick crochet hook until she's completed an entire 7-foot-long row.
It takes nearly 770 bags and 35 hours for Kownacki to crochet together the strips of plastic to make one 4-by-7-foot sleeping mat, which later gets donated to homeless encampments around the city to help people stay dry and comfortable.
Kownacki, 65, is legally blind but she relies on her years of crochet experience and infectiously positive attitude to continue working on her project. Beaming with pride as she intertwines the recycled fabric with ease, she looks up from her creation with a smirk: "This is my 23rd one," she says.
Miller, Kownacki, and their fellow crocheting group consisting of friends Karen Damerville, Sharon Esche and Joanie Miller, are all residents at Grand Living at Tower Place, a pristine resort-style senior living facility in West Des Moines fit with its own spa, gym, pool, and bistro.
"We are living in paradise," Kownacki said. "And there are people out there that have nothing."
That thought weighs on Kownacki and her friends as they crochet the mats out of recycled plastic bags.
"There are a lot of people out there that need help − a lot more than I thought..." Kownacki said. "Some of these people are living on these mats with nothing over them. And it snows; it rains; and it's scary."
A point-in-time analysis conducted earlier this year shows that homelessness is rising in Des Moines. Approximately 644 homeless people were found and surveyed on a single night in January, a slight increase from 606 in 2022 and 576 in 2021.
As the number of people in Des Moines teetering on the edge of homelessness grows, a new study conducted by Drake University shows they also face barriers to finding shelter and permanent housing, including physical conditions of the shelter; rules and routines; perceptions of shelter staff; problems with other shelter clients; gender-specific barriers; and apathy and the "precarious balance of daily survival."
The group knows the mats they create are far from a solution to help solve homelessness in the metro, but they said they feel a responsibility to do the best they can to make a difference.
"We feel like we're doing something good," said Damerville, the founder of the crocheting group at Grand Living. "Not a lot, but we're doing something good."
Damerville first learned how to make the mats from a friend about five years ago. She said she fell in love with the idea, not only because it allowed her to apply her creative energy, but because the mats simultaneously serve those in need and help give otherwise wasteful materials like plastic bags a second and meaningful purpose.
"I hate to see these go to waste because the birds and the ducks eat them and then they die," Damerville said.
When she moved to Grand Living over a year ago, she recruited some of her new friends to join in on her project. As new residents moved in, the group grew organically as the women connected in the halls, at the dining room or through other clubs. Kownacki jokes every time she meets a new resident at Grand Living, she welcomes them to the community first, and then always follows up with the question: "So, do you know how to crochet?"
More: Why do some Des Moines homeless people avoid shelter? A new study finds out, plus other takeaways
In the past year, the club has produced nearly 30 mats, all of which have been donated to nearby homeless encampments. Angela Boyd, the executive director of Grand Living, said the women have been brought closer through their shared artistic passions and collective drive to do good.
"It's really beautiful to be able to see people come together at this stage in their life," she said. "You're never done making friends, you're never done learning new things, and you're just never done living life."
When the group is not feverishly crocheting or cutting apart plastic bags, they are obsessed with finding more raw material. Their woven mats feature a range of designs, informed by the colors of bags they are lucky enough to come by. The orange bags donated by a local Fareway right after Halloween were Kownacki's favorite. Damerville, on the other hand, loves contrasting the grey and white Target bags into her patterns. Joyce Miller's daughter-in-law runs a businesses in St. Louis which uses blue bags, and each member of the group is practically giddy to get their hands on some of them when she comes for her next visit.
"We can't wait for blue bags!" Kownacki exclaims as she leans over and shows a picture of the current mountain of bags she has piled up on her living room chair, waiting to be cut and woven into their own mat.
The group does more than collect plastic bags and crochet. Joyce Miller uses her sewing and knitting skills to create hats and quilts for cancer patients. Kownacki coordinates with local nonprofits to organize a weekly clothing and goods drive.
Together, the group of friends laugh over who has the largest stockpile of plastic bags in their room, share stories about their hobbies and passions, and most importantly, they work to better their community around them in any little way that they can.
More on homelessness in the metro
More: A guide to shelter, housing resources for people facing homelessness in Polk County
More: As Des Moines' homeless population grows, the city grapples with solutions
More: Development updates: Could the federal courthouse downtown become a homeless shelter?
More: Iowa to use $21.6 million in federal COVID-19 aid to house up to 700 homeless families
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at@francescablock3.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Grand Living senior residents form group to help the homeless in Iowa
