Annual Homeless Remembrance Blanket Project coming to Philadelphia
Hundreds of homemade blankets will be displayed this weekend at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia as part of the annual Homeless Remembrance Blanket Project.
"If we can make a square, we can sew them all together and make one blanket," Pat LaMarche said.
LaMarche, a former TV journalist whose life was changed after spending nights at different shelters, spends time teaching about generosity through crocheting blankets at Vaux Big Picture High School in Philadelphia.
Since 2021, with the help of volunteers and artisans, LaMarche has displayed handmade blankets in an annual exhibit called "The Homeless Memorial Project."
"If we get 30, then that's what 30 people look like when they have nowhere to sleep," LaMarche said.
LaMarche's been a journalist since the 1980s, from television to radio to now print, where she writes for the Bucks County Beacon. She's always been concerned about poverty, even documenting her stays at homeless shelters.
"If I couldn't stay at a shelter because it was full, I'd stay on the sidewalk the street," LaMarche said. "I was never homeless, but I wrote stories about the people I met."
Ultimately running a shelter and creating a name for herself, LaMarche was invited to speak at a graduation ceremony for low-income individuals. That's where she met a young and inspiring woman.
"She was about 35 and she was permanently disabled," LaMarche said, "and she said I'd like to just crochet all day."
Inspired by her ability despite her financial limitations, LaMarche held her first exhibit that same year in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. An exhibit followed in Washington, D.C., and then Harrisburg, which showcased more than 1,100 blankets.
LaMarche is just days away from prepping the lawn at Independence Mall.
"The message of independence is too huge to ignore. We are at the cradle of liberty, Independence Hall," LaMarche said. "There's zero independence when you have to beg for everything."
Meanwhile, strangers from all over are sending in quilts and blankets, some with the words "Here's a little something to keep you warm."
LaMarche says these quilts are a reminder that one too many people have died from homelessness. Last year, they collected more than 1,100 blankets.
Saturday's event is from noon to 6 p.m. They are collecting two sizes, one for individuals and queen-size blankets to stress family homelessness.