THREADS OF HOPE

HARRINGTON- Teresa Myers has spent most of her life giving back to others, but what started Threads of Hope, her solo organization dedicated to helping those struggling with addiction, happened eight years ago.

Myer's granddaughter, whom Myers wanted to remain anonymous, was addicted to heroin.

"I had searched the streets for her," Myers said. "I couldn't find her anywhere."

A call from a hospital in Seattle came in 2017 as she was out looking for her.

"She had a baby, a little boy," Myers said. "He is my best friend; he's five now."

Myers and her husband, Shawn, drove to Seattle to pick them up.

"I kept thinking I had to do something to help her," Myers said. "So, I told her to start a quilt."

Myers said she wanted her granddaughter to finish the quilt by her first sober anniversary.

"She had never sewn in her life," Myers said. "But she finished it and stayed clean."

Myers said her granddaughter now has three children and owns her duplexes.

"I thought I could do this with her," Myers said. "I could do this with anyone raising children."

That was when Myers started walking the streets of her home in Aberdeen, looking for those that might need extra help.

"We would bring them home to our house," Myers said. "Let them take showers, give them clothes and feed them."

Myers recalls that sewing came to her as a way to help.

"We started sewing," Myers said. "I thought, well, let's try it."

She said once people saw their creations, they were proud.

Myers says the enjoyment came from making it for someone other than themselves.

"You're doing it for these people," Myers said. "It gives them peace."

As Myers started holding meetings at the senior center in Aberdeen, many seniors came down but were unsure how to interact with addicts.

"You got these older people," Myers said. "They were not sure how to interact with people who were on drugs, former addicts, or homeless."

Pairing up a senior citizen and a younger person did the trick to help both age groups open up.

"Eventually, the girls opened up," Myers said. "They started telling the older people their life stories."

Myers said they started to connect on life and experiences.

"We'd save all year to do Christmas," Myers said. "We'd fill bags with crackers, cookies, canned meats, everything they needed for a bit of nourishment."

Myers says her hope is to one day have a place where kids or someone in need can come, feel safe, and get a bite to eat or whatever they may need.

"I don't have much, but I believe in giving back," Myers said. "My husband after all this time has never told me no to helping someone."