A group of talented blanket makers from Airdrie are back doing what they do best.  

Airdrie Project Linus recently made their first delivery of blankets since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The organization delivered 120 blankets, made pre-COVID but in storage until now, to the EvenStart Program of Heartland Agency in Calgary.  Kimberlie Ferrier, who, like everyone else involved in Project Linus calls herself a 'blanketeer,' says the partnership with the organization just felt right to the group.

"They have a class that runs, I think it's 230 kids that go through the program every year.  So we donate a blanket to each of those children to help them just have a little something of their own and know that people are thinking of them and just give them some care."

The children in the EvenStart program face developmental delays, serious illness or are at risk with other problems.  

Airdrie Project Linus' donation was 120 blankets or half of their yearly total.  Ferrier explains that the blankets were finished prior to COVID-19 but when the pandemic hit they were placed in plastic and sealed up.

Project Linus is an international project that has chapters in Canada, the U.S. as well as the U.K.  and other parts of Europe.  The Airdrie group has been around since 2011, with Ferrier being a part of it for the past five years.  The group's sole purpose is to make warm blankets, or what they call 'hugs' to give to children 18 and under who are experiencing crises such as the loss of parents, serious illness, abuse, fires, floods, and others.

Ferrier says members of the group mostly come from Airdrie and area but they do have a few blanketeers who live elsewhere, like Fort McMurray.  "We have some ladies from there because we donated to them during the fires."

Ferrier says, over the years, members of the group have heard some very moving stories from families whose children have received a 'hug.'  That includes one from a mom who stopped by the Airdrie Project Linus table one year while the group was taking part in AirdrieFest.

"There was a mother who came up and her little boy was born with a heart defect and had to have multiple surgeries. She said one of the things that was very special was the blanket because he was able to take it with him to every doctor's appointment, every hospital visit and it was something that he could physically find comfort in when he was scared or when he was hurting."

Ferries says it meant a lot to the group to hear, that they were able to give that child some comfort through a difficult time.

The next major project for Airdrie Project Linus will come when the school year begins; however it begins.  They partner with First Student Canada bus lines whose drivers hand out letters at Airdrie schools.  Ferrier says that is how they get the most requests for blankets.

Blankets are also given to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at the Peter Lougheed Hospital because they feel it services many Airdrie moms and their babies.  

If you're interested in becoming an Airdrie Project Linus blanketeer of if you're aware of a child who needs a hug through a blanket you can contact the group at airdrieprojectlinus@gmail.com.  You can also follow them on Facebook or go to their website HERE.

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com