Homeless Remembrance Blanket Project Newsletter

May 2025 News

It really matters. Thank you!

There were so many stories from Pat LaMarche and Max Goller's visit to the Maine Mall in support of Housing NOW! National Day of Action.

For example, a quilted kitty blanket which you can see displayed on the table in front of Max in one of the pictures was made by the lovely and talented Fern Gardens from Bangor. This went to a little cat-loving girl whose mom, when she was born, had no home. Luckily, they had a car, and that is where she lived the first year of her life. When we gave it to her, the mom cried. Of course she did. These blankets mean more than kindness. It means being seen.

In another picture, a blanket is being created on a Mall couch by Joyce Hauslein, a woman with her own lived experience of homelessness. Every time another group would claim one of her blankets from the stack, she would exclaim with glee and mention the 80+ blankets she had made, often with yarn from Goodwill, over the last four years in support of #memorialblanket.

Thanks to Auburn Mayor Mark Harmon - a real champion for housing the unhoused. The Mayor is pictured with ELCA Pastor Mike Rhyne who took a ride down from his congregation in Bangor to support the work begun by his colleagues in PA. 

Thank you, Fern, Joyce, and everyone who made a blanket for this special event. The trunk was full. FULL. Thanks to Through These Doors and Furniture Friends, all but two bags were claimed before pulling out of the parking lot. One stop at the Homeless Service Center of Portland, Maine gave warmth to around 100 unhoused people and made Pat and Max’s drive back to Carlisle a lot more satisfying.

The warmth of a spring day and the Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine served as perfect companions for sharing the news of the #memorialblanket display at the Maine Mall for the April 22 National Day of Action.

Rebecca Hobbs, Co-Executive Director at Through These Doors spoke with News Center Maine's Katie Delaney of the sad connection between domestic violence and housing insecurity for the morning television segment.

Pat LaMarche highlighted your important work in the accompanying print article, stating, "At the end of the day, someone has spent 100 hours thinking about a total stranger. Someone spent 100 hours making a quilt or knitting an afghan and said, ‘You know, I don't know this person, but I care about them.'"

You can get the full story by listening to the news report and reading the full article by clicking the button below!

No amount of thanks is sufficient for the work of our blanket-making volunteers! Your crocheted, knitted, and quilted creations produce a patchwork of beauty at each and every display we undertake.

In this war on insufficient housing, there is little time for rest, especially since we are stepping up our efforts and supporting not only National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day on December 21, but also the National Day of Action on April 22.

We wrapped unhoused persons in your handmade blankets this past month in Maine. Keep up the good work! We know many of you didn’t have blankets ready in time for April when Pat LaMarche sprung Housing NOW! National Day of Action on us - no worries - the big event is in December!