Sarah Minnich puts her two children in the car every Thursday and drives to Maine’s poorest neighborhood.

“I’m glad that my kids can experience this,” she said. “For them to experience the different cultures and to play with kids not raised like them is wonderful.”

The 30-year-old Lisbon Falls mother goes to an inner-city ministry each week to teach at-risk children how to sew. The Root Cellar at the corner of Birch and Pierce streets in Lewiston is located in the poorest square mile north of Boston, said Chris Pope, director of the Lewiston Root Cellar.

While juggling her own two children, 1-year-old Gideon and 4-year-old Obadiah, Minnich teaches a diverse group of children how to hand-sew blankets. “It’s a bit chaotic some days,” Minnich said with a smile. The blankets will be donated to local hospitals through The Dorcas Project.

“The kids are learning to give, even in the tough economic situation that they are in,” said ministry coordinator Heather Kidd of Turner. “Just because you don’t have a lot does not mean that you can’t give. For them to know that they can give without having the money is an important lesson in life.”

The project, named after a disciple in the Bible who made and gave away clothes, has taught more than one lesson.

“I learned instead of buying stuff, you can make stuff on your own,” said Alyssa Tripp, an 11 -year-old who lives nearby and attends sixth grade at Longley Elementary. “It’s good because you don’t waste money.”

Mike West, 12, never picked up a needle and thread before attending The Dorcas Project each Thursday. He is working on his fifth blanket to be given away. “I like coming down here because people learn how to make peace,” West said.

“It’s one of our most successful programs,” said ministry coordinator Emily Copenhaver of Lewiston, a member of the Church of the Brethren. “It’s warm. It’s inviting. The children respond well to it.”