Students sew blankets for the homeless

Stephen Holc never imagined he'd learn how to market a sports drink and sew in the same class.

But last week, Holc, a junior at Hanover County's Atlee High School, and other students in Hilary Graf's sports and entertainment marketing class sat at cafeteria tables with yards of fabric in front of them.

Graf's students sewed more than 60 chenille blankets for the Daily Planet, a Richmond-based organization that serves the area's homeless population. The blankets will be delivered tomorrow and will be part of Christmas goodie bags that will be distributed to needy people Dec. 21.

There are about 1,000 homeless people in the metro Richmond area, according to the most recent data from Homeward, a regional agency for homeless services.

The students weren't laboring over sewing machines that do all the work.

Each blanket was cut, pinned and hand-sewn by the students.

"It's worked out well," Holc said as he pushed a needle through the fabric on one side of a large chocolate-brown blanket that was spread across the table. On the other side of the table was Sebastian Morrison, also a junior, doing the same.

"If you work together, it goes faster," Holc said.

Graf said two students got the ball rolling last school year when they sought donations from local fabric stores.

Rolls of the chenille were donated this past spring, and the students began working on them in October.

At this time of year, when many teens think about their own holiday wishes, "it's cool to see how they can really think about other people," Graf said.

Contact Holly Prestidge at (804) 649-6945 or .