Niles volunteers make blankets for homeless during MLK Day of Service

Children and adults gathered Saturday to cut fleece fabric into squares and fashion it into blankets during a Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service event in Niles.

More than 20 people came to the event to make blankets for the unhoused, and the more than 12 blankets produced will be donated to Niles Township, said Elizabeth Lynch, a member of Niles United, a local group which organized the event.

“It gives us an opportunity to draw attention to neighbors experiencing homelessness, and the great work that Niles Family Services and Niles Township are doing,” she said.

Niles Township operates a daytime respite center where people without homes can come to take showers, do their laundry and take a nap, Lynch said. The township gives them blankets to use and take with them, and that creates a continuous need for blankets.

According to Lynch, Bonnie Ognisanti, Niles Township Supervisor, said that beyond providing warmth, the respite center and the blankets provide an emotional comfort to those without homes.

“It’s so wonderful to see neighbors coming together to build a better, more caring community,” said Peggy Reins, Niles United member and one of the event’s planners.

More than $300 in donations of food and hygiene items, as well as checks, were collected for the food pantry, Lynch said. The event was held in the Niles Senior Center/Fitness Center building, and Niles Township donated fabric for the blankets.

Niles United is an organization of residents encouraging others to engage in the community and connect with each other, Lynch said.

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