Christine Pestridge arrived at the Kennedy Health building on White Horse Road Saturday morning clutching a bag full of knit squares.
They were meant for her father, but he passed away before Pestridge’s mother could stitch them into a blanket. “Whoever gets this, I hope they know that somebody cares,” the Pine Hill resident said. Pestridge’s blanket, along with those made by more than 50 volunteers at Kennedy’s Make a Blanket Day event on Saturday, will be donated to Project Linus, a nonprofit that donates handmade blankets to seriously ill or traumatized children. The volunteers packed a room and gathered around long tables to knit, crochet, sew or quilt blankets. “Some people have something they’ve been working on that they want to finish. Some people will start a project today and sometimes we have people who just come in and drop them off,” said Tanya McKeown, coordinator of Kennedy’s ElderMed program. ElderMed is a program for seniors that offers lectures, support groups and activities including a knitting and crocheting group.
“One of the members suggested starting to donate to Project Linus,” McKeown said.