Volunteers knit blankets for premature babies at a hospital
For 30 years, volunteers have been knitting tiny blankets for preemies at Integris Baptist.
Inside the Integris Baptist NICU, each tiny blanket offers a splash of color against the white incubators. The blankets must measure precisely twelve by twelve inches, the perfect size to nestle around a preemie without bunching. A volunteer, Maria, told me she’s been crocheting squares for ten years, ever since her granddaughter was born early. She drops off a stack of pastel-colored squares every month. Nurses carefully place the soft squares around the infants, a small barrier against the starkness of the unit. After a preemie goes home, their family takes the blanket with them. Last year, the program provided over 300 blankets to families. Now, another box of freshly knitted blankets sits ready, waiting for the next tiny arrival.
For thirty years, those small blankets have been wrapped around tiny babies, offering comfort from one generation to the next. And still, the needles click, ready for the next arrival.