The Family, Career and Community Leaders of America students at Nansemond River High School have been busy this fall producing sleeping mats for the homeless.

Under the guidance of teacher Sally Karadeema, this creative group of students has been turning used plastic bags into “plarn,” and city officials have set up a plastic bag recycling drive to help move the unusual project along.

Plarn is just like yarn, except it is made from plastic bags cut into strips, tied together and rolled into a ball, like a ball of yarn. In addition, the group has been learning a new craft, crocheting.

By combining these new skills, the FCCLA members plan to turn their plarn into mats for the homeless. The group is still deciding which homeless organization to donate to, so its current focus is to collect plastic bags, make plarn and perfect the skills to produce the mats.

Karadeema, the FCCLA advisor, started the project to help teach her students resource management, a skill that will serve them in their futures, she said.

“Making mats for the homeless was also a great way to teach about recycling, learn a new craft, and help out some folks in the process,” she said. “I am extremely happy with how well the group has applied themselves; they have adopted a professional approach, organizing bag collection and working together to produce the balls of plarn. I am very excited to see the mats take shape.”

Karadeema contacted “Keep Suffolk Beautiful” for help, and organizers set up a plastic bag recycling drive at the two main libraries on Saturday, which is America Recycles Day.

“This young group of leaders are more than welcome to all the plastic bags they need, and we are very happy to see them being recycled locally and put to good use,” said Wayne Jones, litter control coordinator for the city of Suffolk.

The drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Morgan Memorial and North Suffolk libraries. In addition, residents can bring old cell phones, ink cartridges and household batteries to be recycled.

There will also be information about recycling, giveaways and story time for young children as well as an opportunity to see one of the homeless mats and a ball of plarn.