A ladies quilting group at First Reformed Church in Pella is helping children locally through a project providing warmth and comfort.

Nancy Vander Pol and a group of nearly a dozen women have been working to make weighted blankets for kids in the community and beyond. Vander Pol heard the idea from her participation in the Pella quilting guild.

Milly Vande Kieft with First Reformed Church tells KNIA/KRLS News they make quilts and blankets on a weekly basis, but a conversation with Jefferson Intermediate School Principal Brian Miller led to their use in schools.

“I said certainly you have children in your schools that need something like this, and having taught in the public school, I knew there was a special need for those kinds of things,” she says. “And so it sort of mushroomed from there, we brought over a couple of samples and [Special Edcuation Teacher] Betty Bollard said this is what works.”

She says the weight of the material has benefits to emotional and physical well-being. Special Education Teacher at Jefferson Intermediate School Betty Bollard tells KNIA/KRLS News they are seeing positive results from the students using the blankets.

“What a labor of love they have done for our students, it was so touching and moving to me,” she says.

Vander Pol says the benefit goes beyond students, and is even helpful to the group working on the project.

“When you see children actually settle down and have a smile on their face, that’s what it’s all about–helping people that need just the extra little help we can give them,” Vander Pol says. “It’s just a time that you feel so blessed when you leave, it’s always better to take away something when you are able to help someone.”

Hear more about the weighted blankets on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.