After learning how to sew, 89-year-old man makes bags for those in need

A close up of a sewing machine and fabric.
(Image credit: iStock)

He only learned how to sew two years ago, but Dwight Goins, 89, has made up for lost time.

The retired landscaper from Upland, California, creates large care bags for the homeless, and smaller bags and pencil cases for foster kids. "It gives me something to do, and it makes somebody happy," he told NBC Los Angeles. He needed something to do after his wife of 40 years died, Goins said, and was inspired to take up sewing after grocery stores started charging for bags.

Recently, Goins made bags for the senior citizens at the Upland Rehab and Care Center, which they placed on their walkers and wheelchairs. "He's always been a very heart-sy person," his daughter, Cheryl, said. "I think he gives a piece of himself away every time he gives a bag away."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.