NAMPA, Idaho — Nampa High School senior Mikayla Mortensen was searching for a way to give back to the community over the holidays, but she wasn't sure how to do that while following COVID-19 safety guidelines.
“I was scrolling Facebook one day and I saw this post, I think it was on Marketplace, they were looking for wreaths for a community, like a nursing home,” Mortensen said. “I don't have any wreaths, but I know how to make blankets.”
She then sent a message to the care facility asking if she could make blankets for the residents. After they cheerfully agreed, she began making blankets for all 66 residents.
When she realized she couldn't make that many blankets by herself, Mortensen asked her Nampa Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter to help out.
“We should do this community service, I know we have got the “Rona” going on, but it would be a really cool opportunity,” Mortensen told the other students. “So, I just set it up, and we made all 66 of the blankets. We had to do it COVID-19 style, so there were time slots that they had to come into the school. We just cut them and tied them together, made sure they were all nice and pretty. I think there were about 30 kids that showed up."
Most of the materials were donated by FFA alumni, and Mortensen paid for some of the fabric to make extra blankets.
“I did extra for two different nursing homes," she said. "My family and friends were helping too, so it was awesome."
After the residents received the blankets, Mortensen received a touching video from them, thanking her for making the blankets.
“Oh man, I was like, 'Oh that's so sweet, I want to cry,' but It was so cute,” she said.
Making blankets for nursing home residents was the best part of her holiday break.
“It just made me so much happier, and the meaning of Christmas kind of changed,” Mortensen said. “It sounds corny but I just loved helping other people."
Mortensen wants to say a big thank you to her FFA chapter for making this blanket project happen, saying she couldn’t have done it without them.
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