Fleece Donations thru April for the Sallal Grange's Project Linus

The Sallal Grange Project Linus Blanket Bee in North Bend is pleased to be chosen as a recipient of local life scout Tory Shomler’s Eagle Scout project. Life scout Tory’s project is to collect enough fleece and flannel to produce 150 blankets, a needed and welcome support for the Blanket Bee. His project runs through the end of April, and donations can be dropped off at - Fall City Public Library, 33415 SE 42nd Pl, Fall City Every other month ‘Blanketeers’ from the Snoqualmie Valley come to the Sallal Grange and make no-sew blankets for Project Linus. Project Linus, named after the beloved “Peanuts” character who kept a security blanket with him at all times, provides blankets and quilts hand-made with love to children and teens in traumatic situations. From preemies to teens, from disasters to serious illness, these handmade blankets are cherished by the kids (and their parents and grandparents) as a symbol of how much someone cares. Often they become treasured keepsakes, but always they provide comfort and security in a stressful and frightful time. As a keystone in the process of becoming an Eagle Scout, the scout must complete the Eagle Scout Service Project. The project demonstrates leadership and organization, and must benefit the community or an organization other than the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Eagle is the highest rank a scout can attain. Former President Gerald Ford, filmmaker Steven Spielberg, first person on the moon Neil Armstrong, and Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton were all Eagle Scouts. “Think Globally, Act Locally” is an oft-quoted bumper sticker. Tory might have been thinking that when he decided on his project. “I wanted to do something local,” he said. “My mother and sister had helped out at Project Linus a couple of years ago.” Blankets that the Sallal Grange’s Blanket Bee produce are given to either Linda, Laurie, or Nancy, the Seattle Project Linus coordinators. They are given tags and then distributed to where they can do the most good. The Sallal Grange blanketeers produced over a hundred blankets last year, and is on track to produce even more this year, but the raw materials are the bottleneck. “We have a very tight budget on how much we can spend,” said Leah Aichele, Director of Family Living and the head of the Blanket Bee. “We shop the remnant tables at fabric stores, but we rely on donations to make up the difference. People have donated before, but this is just outstanding.” If you have questions, please contact Tory at: (425) 606-9429 or toryshomler@yahoo.com