FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. -- A pile of plastic bags will soon be used to help keep a homeless veteran warm.
"For those people who do need our help right now it's a really easy way to make something they can use," said library manager, Lynn Pinilla.
The Headquarters Library in Fleming Island has been collecting the bags for months, and teens will spend their spring breaks turning them into mats.
"They crochet grocery bags that have been cut into strips and hocked together," said Pinilla
Each mat will be three-by-six feet and take between 600 to 900 bags to make. Librarians like Pinilla will walk the students through every step of the process.
"They get a good sense that everyone in the community is not as well off as they are," said Pinilla. "They get to see what it's like to make something and accomplish it."
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says there are more than 62,000 homeless veterans. These mats will make their nights on the street a little easier.
"It's portable. You can carry it wherever you go. It allows them to be up off the ground if it's wet or cold, and just prevents them from being out in the elements," said Pinilla.
The entire project will take about 60 hours to complete. But Pinilla says it's the least they can do for men and women who have given so much.
Tweens and teens can still sign up for the spring break project. The event takes place Monday, March 25 at 2:30 p.m. at the Headquarters Library in Fleming Island.
