Linus Project offers comfort to local children with blanket donations

WAYNE TWP. – Snoopy would be proud.

People in the area who like to use their talents to create gifts now can make a special gift to help a child who is in a traumatic or scary situation.

Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" character, Linus, with his blanket, is the inspiration for the Linus Project, which offers a blanket to comfort a child.

The handmade blanket can be crocheted, knitted, quilted or made of fleece or flannel. The blankets are delivered to emergency rooms, police, outreach programs, fire stations, women's shelters or to any child who needs a blanket.

Lawrence County chapter coordinator Josalyn DiFrischia said she got involved because she knows how much children's blankets mean to them.

"I can't wait to cover the kids of Lawrence County with their own blanket when they need it the most," she said recently.

DiFrischia is getting the word out so volunteer creators will have time to make blankets for the meeting at 6 p.m. Jan. 3 at the Wurtemburg Methodist Church, 1244 Portersville Road.

DiFrischia, of Portersville, who enjoys sewing, saw the Linus Project on a number of sewing websites and did the paperwork to have Lawrence County be one of the national Linus Project sites.

"As long as we have volunteers making blankets we will remain open, hopefully, for a long time," she said. "It is important to spread the word as much as we can before our first meeting."

At the meeting, blanket makers will have an opportunity to show the group the blanket or blankets they made or they can just drop off their blankets. The one-hour-long Jan. 3 meeting is the first of monthly meetings.

The Linus Project is a national nonprofit organization run by volunteers who make blankets for children.

Because not everyone can create a homemade blanket, donations of materials to make blankets are welcomed at the chapter meetings.

All Project Linus blankets are handmade by volunteers, donated to local chapters, and primarily distributed within the same communities where they were donated.

For more information or questions, DiFrischia's number is 724-333-0685 or she can be reached at [email protected].