Young Students Sew Blankets for Homeless Animals

Story originally published by Standard Examiner.

Ninth-grade students at a Salt Lake City junior high school are putting their class projects to good use.

Six Family and Consumer Science students have been working with their teacher, Elizabeth Evans, to sew blankets for cats and dogs at the Utah Animal Adoption Center. Not only are they donating to a precious cause, but they're also learning life skills in the process.

"It's not a useless skill anymore," Evans told Standard Examiner on why sewing is important. "It's becoming more and more useful as the clothing industry expands. Even if they don't sew, they have to know what quality workmanship is."

And quality workmanship is precisely what they're doing. The students donated 16 blankets to the shelter and spent time getting to know the furry friends who will receive their creations. "We have Chihuahuas that shudder in 90-degree weather, so this will be great," said Melissa Jolley, the shelter dog lead.

One of the students, Dezi Gourley, appreciates the act of giving back. She can make much more than blankets, and has sewn other things such as pajama pants. "Sewing is actually a skill and a hobby," Gourley said. "Later in life someone might have a hole in their pocket or something; they could ask someone like me to sew it up instead of paying money."