Have you ever passed a homeless shelter and wondered how you could help? If so, you’re not alone.
The Utah Tech Student Association partnered with the organization Stitching Hearts to provide a pop-up service opportunity for students and faculty alike on Nov. 6 in the Gardner Student Center.
“[Stitching Hearts] makes quilts for girls who are coming out of sexual abuse situations, and they also make kits for kids in pre-K, like those little file folder games,” Kate Pugmire, outreach coordinator with the UTSA service branch, said. “This time of year, we like to make sleeping mats for homeless people in Las Vegas. They’re meant to keep [people] warmer.”
The sleeping mats are crafted from plastic bags woven together. According to Stitching Hearts’ website, these mats can keep someone up to 40 degrees warmer, which can be crucial in the colder months.
Students also crafted file folder games for children and refugees for local non-profits. These file folders included creative activities to practice English and math, and were made primarily from paper and glue.
“Last year, UTSA did their first service project with Stitching Hearts,” Pugmire said. “I loved it, because I’m really big on quilting and sewing. So this year, I was so excited because I really wanted to work with them [Stitching Hearts].”
UTSA partners with Stitching Hearts several times each semester and plans to continue this partnership in the coming years.
“As the service branch, we have community partners that we deal with, and we’re always in communication with them,” Myles Beatty, enrichment coordinator on the service branch of UTSA, said. “We’re always emailing them and staying in contact whenever they need our help.”
Students who chose to take part in the pop-up service not only helped their community but also left more fulfilled. Jada Li, a sophomore general studies major from St. George who attended the event, shared her thoughts on the Stitching Hearts pop-up service.
“I used to do a lot of community service [before university],” Li said. “I just like the community service. I think I’d do this again.”
Participants don’t need to stay long, either; just an hour or two is enough to make a difference, according to Beatty.
“I think it’s just a great way to have something fulfilling [to do] or just to help the community out,” Beatty said. “Even when I wasn’t in UTSA, I would always just stop in at the drop-in services and provide support, or just stay for an hour or two and see how I could help someone who might need it.”
Students and faculty interested in participating in future service projects can check out the UTSA Instagram and website.
“I never thought I’d be into student government or anything like that. I didn’t realize they would even have a place for me,” Pugmire said. “But it all started because I was volunteering at projects.”
