For our July 2017 meeting, I suggested we order “torn bandage” boxes from the Brethren Service Center, so that those thoughtful stewards could be relieved of their bandage-storage responsibility.
As someone who volunteers in managing collections, I think ordering the box and then tossing it blesses the Brethren Service Center mightily. I throw things away all the time, because storing them is no longer a blessing for those using the collection and frankly, there’s no further practical use for them. (Not even book resellers are interested in a devotional book from 1954. They throw them away, too.)
But I heard the struggle in many of your voices about ordering something and then just throwing it away?!?
To help with that, I’ve come up with a craft idea: DOG TUG TOYS!
I tested this with a seasoned dog shelter volunteer, who not only vetted the design but tried them out on her own dogs. This craft yields serviceable, though generally short-lived, braided toys.
Instructions:
- Unroll one bandage; fold into fourths. Repeat for two additional bandages.
- Stack three ‘strands.’ Tie them together at one end, using an overhand knot. Push on the knot to make it as tight as possible.
- Braid the strands together as tightly as possible. Happy, energetic dogs will shred loosely-braided toys in short order.
- At about the mid-way point, tie another tight overhand knot. This will help the toy last longer.
- Continue braiding tightly until the end. Tie another tight overhand knot to finish.
The large-sized box that I ordered held about 72 rolled bandages, which makes about two dozen toys. If this is something you enjoy, I’m sure you can find friends to hold braiding parties with!
Please do check with your local dog rescue organizations before driving over to drop off dozens of tug-toys. It would be sad if these bandages were pulled out of the frying pan (Brethren warehouse) to be dropped in the fire (animal shelter closet)!
Thanks again for considering participating in this service project!
Kimbol, I have sent the info to our two local shelters and will get back with you after I get a response. Great idea!
Kimbol, You are a marvel! What a great help to
people like me who find it almost impossible to throw anything away, no matter how apparently useless.
Perhaps we could tie dye strips and weave them together to make a banner coomemorating the Bretheren Service Center and return some of their strips in a way that honors the history of the torn bandage project…
I’m laughing, Sharon — because that’s beautiful, and because that would be a WHOLE ‘NOTHER PROJECT-! Are you steering this? ;)? If so, I would check with BSC that giving them an object (no matter how beautiful) would be a blessing. Particularly since my understanding is that this was not necessarily *their* initiative, but that they were being kind to PW and sharing storage.
Kimbol. Our local shelter has made these and is very excited to have more. I am told they cannot keep enough around. I am willing to have boxes delivered to Fort Davis, Texas. Please advise as to how this can be arranged.
Thanks,
Vicki Maline
Tres Rios PW
The original project idea, shipping the boxes of bandages, is detailed in this post: http://www.sospwconnect.com/mission-service-mission-service-for-our-upcoming-meeting . It is a suggestion from Together In Service, and involves filling out & mailing a form (linked on the blog post) and paying the shipping cost (detailed on the blog post).
I was leaving it to the initiative of each of us in the sisterhood to wrangle the details from there. Thanks for digging into it, Vicki!