April 6, 2007
Poulan -- A 66-year-old South Georgia woman uses her talents to benefit wounded soldiers, and you can help. She crochets "lapghans," lap-sized quilts for our troops who were wounded while serving our nation.
P. J. Barfkenecht has been knitting since she was a girl. Now at 66, she spends her days knitting purple hearts onto red, white, and blue "lapghans" for wounded troops. "They haven't lost that wound, whether its visible or emotional, and they need to be reminded that we still do appreciate what they did," she says.
She started this in 2005, and since then she's given at least 60 to war veterans to complement the purple heart medal they received from the military. "A medal, you can put in a box or in the shelf or the desk drawer, and that's it. This is something that is usable."
So useable the Department of Veteran's Affairs wrote her a letter applauding her efforts. "I loved it, I loved it. It told me that other people feel the same as I do."
Now Barfknecht is asking for your help. She's looking for anyone who can knit little 3-inch squares and send them to her. Then she can apply the squares onto the quilt. "With a blanket, you can wrap that around your shoulders and that's like getting a hug."
She'll keep providing those hugs to the m,en and woman who gave their time to service their country. "Until the arthritis won't let me..."
Barfknecht calls her program the Purple Heart Project. You can donate your time or money to help mail quilts to soldiers. Call 229-777-7834, or email: pjsdigital@mchsi.com .
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