Teenagers Transform Plastic Bags into Vital Lifelines for San Antonio’s Homeless

Published: April 3, 2024

Shaping Plastic Bags into Sleeping Mats

In an inspiring act of community service and innovation, a group of San Antonio teenagers have found a crucial new purpose for the plastic bags that many retail consumers bring home and discard. The non-profit organization, Teens Give Back SATX, is ingeniously converting used grocery bags into life-saving sleeping mats for homeless individuals in San Antonio.

Homes Just a Plastic Bag Away

“We take for granted having a bed to go home to at night after a long day of work or school and the comfort that brings us,” says Addie Roberts of Teens Give Back SATX. Roberts and her fellow volunteers have seized matters into their own hands, crafting these plastic bag mats in an effort to provide vital warmth and shelter.

Turning Trash into Treasure

Rex Brien, VP of Emergency service for SAMMinistries, an organization that works closely with Teens Give Back SATX, explains that the mats can be lifesaving in cold temperatures by offering insulation from the ground. The plastic mat also provides a waterproof, bug deterrent surface for those sleeping outdoors.

The Art and Determination Behind the Mat Making

According to Roberts, the process of crafting a single sleeping mat is an exercise in patience. Each mat requires between 700-900 plastic bags and around 15-20 hours of labour. The teenagers behind Teens Give Back SATX have dedicated countless hours into learning and perfecting this art.

A Recent Big Break: The H-E-B Partnership

The relentless efforts of these teenagers have recently been boosted by a partnership with H-E-B, a grocery chain in Texas. The grocery store’s involvement has resulted in a donation of over 8,000 bags to Teens Give Back SATX. This substantial contribution has enabled the teenagers to produce a remarkable 10 mats in just the past month, a significant increase from the roughly 50 mats they produced in the prior year largely from neighbourhood bag drives.

Continuing the Mission

These teenagers are both humble and optimistic about their work, with Valentina Mendible of Teens Give Back SATX expressing, “It’s just a really nice feeling, like even if you’re really tired, it’s like, it’s okay, I did something good.” The group hopes to continue expanding their operations and help even more of San Antonio’s homeless by increasing awareness of their mission and recruiting more volunteers.