The women of the Crochet Ministry of Grace United Methodist Church are busy working to create handmade gifts for the sick members of the church.

Together, 12 women have handcrafted around 100 blankets, 60 hats, pillows and more for the American Red Cross, local nursing homes, homeless shelters and other organizations. Before each blanket is given out, it is placed on the church’s altar and blessed by Pastor George Paul Lanier.

Janet Glover said she was looking for a way to reach out to the community when she stumbled upon a flyer for a prayer shawl ministry at another church and thought her church could do something similar.

Some of the group’s members picked up crocheting as a child, while others have recently learned the craft. Depending on their experience, blankets can take anywhere to a week or more to make.

Hattie Henderson and Mary A. Henderson agreed that their favorite blanket style to make is the Corner2Corner style.