Remember that cute kid named Linus who carried a blanket in the Peanuts comic strip? This organization is perfectly named after him, since blankets are the name of the game here.
Belton, Missouri is the home for Project Linus National Headquarters. 10,000,000+ blankets have been donated and delivered nationally since 1995.
With chapters in all 50 states, Project Linus continues to grow. Blankets are collected locally at each chapter and distributed to children in hospitals, shelters, social service agencies, or anywhere that a child might need a big hug. Occasionally, when there is an event such as a hurricane, tornado or flood, chapters across the country will donate blankets to the areas in need.
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Some of our blankets bagged and ready for distribution.
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Our members patiently sewing the Project Linus labels on every handmade blanket.
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After blankets are labeled, we tag and put ribbon on blankets ready to go.
Project Linus provides new handmade blankets to children 0-18 in the United States who are seriously ill, traumatized, bullied, or otherwise in need of comfort. PL has chapters in every state, but there is always a need for more dedicated individuals to create more chapters
In the beginning, an article titled “Joy to the World” appeared in Parade Magazine on December 24, 1995. Eddie Adams, a Pulitzer Prize winning photo-journalist, wrote this heartwarming story. Part of the article featured a petite, downy haired child named Laura:
“Laura has unusual compassion for others,” Charlotte Barry-Williams of Oceanside, California, says of her daughter, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 1993. “I guess part of the reason is that she has experienced so much pain herself.”
A special “blankie” has helped Laura, 3, get through more than two years of intensive chemotherapy. She takes it to the hospital with her when she goes for treatment. When she was first diagnosed, 97 percent of her bone marrow contained cancerous cells. Although chemotherapy has helped eradicate the cancer, she has had to endure nausea, high fevers and the loss of her hair. An allergic reaction at one point caused her to lose vital signs.
“She doesn’t understand what cancer means,” her mother says. “She’s a very joyous and happy person, very curious.” Her mother hopes Laura can start preschool next spring.
After reading the article, Karen Loucks decided to provide new handmade security blankets to Denver’s Rocky Mountain Children’s Cancer Center, and Project Linus was born. For more information, go to https://www.projectlinus.org/ There is a FAQs page that will answer most questions. Interested in making blankets? Sizes and materials are listed here. PL also has Facebook pages – feel free to explore!
How does Project Linus work locally?
The Montgomery County, Texas Chapter of Project Linus began in November 2009. Faith United Methodist Church in Spring has been the meeting place since the chapter’s inception. The first meeting of this chapter welcomed 10 people who immediately began making blankets and working to strengthen the organization.
Today, the average number of volunteers who meet here monthly for chapter meetings is between 35-40. There are also many people in the community who make and donate blankets, dropping them off at collection sites such as Joann’s. We have a dedicated bunch, mostly women, but we also have a gentleman who carries on his late wife’s tradition of making fantastic quilts.
The Montgomery County chapter’s donations include a District Attorney’s office where children and youth will be testifying in court; school counselors helping students with stressful situations; Social Service agencies dealing with abused children and those in foster care; individual children as we become aware of their needs; and bereavement programs at hospitals for children/youth dealing with the death of a close relative.
During 2023, our chapter spent approximately $3,640 on blanket material and batting. The chapter’s money comes from donations, grants, and fundraisers put on by the chapter. One year we put together a cookbook with our favorite recipes!
This doesn’t include the countless dollars spent by all our volunteers and donors. Here is the estimated cost of making blankets – quilts $69, flannel $17, and fleece $16 (also depending on what we find on sale!). This cost may be more or less, depending on the size of the blankets being made.
As we get the blankets, we make sure they are the correct size, they are clean and free of pet hair, all selvages cut off, and are up to standards. We sew labels on, either by machine or by hand. Then they are carefully folded and tied up with ribbon, with a tag added to specify gender and blanket size. The last step is to fill orders from the various agencies; then they are delivered by volunteers.
As of October 2024, our chapter alone has donated 40,820 blankets (remember, each blanket represents a child in need). In the past 5 years we have donated an average of 3,323 blankets yearly.
If you are interested in joining or maybe just making blankets, here’s the website for the Montgomery County chapter: https://www.woodlandsprojectlinus.org/. You can find more ways to help, even if you cannot join.
We meet on first Thursdays at 9:30 AM from September to May, taking time off in the summer to enjoy family, friends, and travel. Meetings in 2025 are: January 2, February 6, March 6 (potluck lunch), April 3, and May 1 (potluck lunch). Please join us if you have the time and inclination!
And now, a few words from our coordinator:
The many people who volunteer their time and talent with Project Linus do so for various reasons but all of them center around wanting to help a hurting child know that someone cares about them and wants to offer comfort and security through their handmade blanket. The child and the volunteer will likely never meet but somehow a bond is formed through the making and giving of the blanket.
Project Linus is a strong and vibrant national organization I am proud to be part of and find its work to be very fulfilling. Our chapter welcomes all who have a desire to help a child through the gift of a handmade blanket! Don’t sew? No problem — there are plenty of fun things to do to help and you are truly needed.
Ms. Marc Layton, Chapter Coordinator thewoodlandslinus@gmail.com
Denise Beason has recently retired from her position as a Director of Marketing for a local Domino’s franchise. She enjoys her large family, photography, painting, traveling, and of course making blankets for the Montgomery chapter of Project Linus.
