Mother of Fallen Marine Uses Uniforms to Make Memorial Bears for Military Families

Lisa Freeman's son, Matthew, died in the line of duty in Afghanistan in 2009. Two days before his death, Matthew told his mother, “Mom, the kids would rather have pens and paper more than anything, even food or water. Would you please start a collection and send them to me?” Now, in addition to gathering pens and paper, she's also hand-sewing Matthew Bears for families of fallen soldiers, using the uniforms of each person as part of The Matthew Freeman Project.

Lisa can make two bears from one set of pants, but she and her staff have received an overwhelming amount of requests for bears recently. If you don't need your bear immediately, Lisa can take your order, otherwise she suggests, "a seamstress from your church or a friendly church in your community" using the Simplicity pattern #5461.

See a few of her bears below. If you'd like to say hello to The Matthew Freeman Project and see the impact their charity has had around the world, visit their Facebook page here.

If you'd like to donate to The Matthew Freeman Project, which raises money to buy school supplies for children in war-torn countries, you can donate here.