Hi, all!Well, it's that time of year again, and although I'm only slowly getting my act together, I've decided the best way to begin is by taking the first step - and that's opening up sign-ups for this year's Challenge! I know that many of you have already been working on quilts, and many have contacted me asking if we will be doing the Challenge this year. Many many thanks to Mari for taking up the reins last year and managing the pull all this off when I wasn't able to! It's a challenge in itself but so worth it!
For those of you who may be new, this is a Challenge to make comfort quilts for others in need. We try to focus on smaller, lesser known charities (although some old favorites will be returning!) rather than the larger ones that receive plenty of donations during the year. Or if you prefer, you can donate your quilts locally. This is a great option if you are outside of the United States, or if the cost of shipping is prohibitive for you (along with everything else these days, it seems!). The charities often take a wide variety of sizes and types of quilts, so there's something for everyone, whether you like to make baby quilts or lap quilts, or even if you only like to make tops.
And here's some info about this year's charities....
Little Lambs Foundation of Utah
Little Lambs is returning this year as one of our charities. As in most states, the foster care system is in dire need of assistance, and Little Lambs does excellent work in Utah providing comfort kits for children from newborns to 18 years of age. Ted and Stefanee have been doing this for many years and it has been our privilege to be part of their work. Although you can send larger quilts if you want, this is a great place to send baby quilts, approximately 36-40 inches on a side. And they have a partnership with Give Back Box so that you can send your quilts for a highly reduced price. And you can stuff that box with up to 70 pounds of donations, so feel free to send them multiple quilts, or anything else that is on their wish list! You can find out more information on the services they offer at littlelambsofutah.org.
Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo
Emily's project, Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo, is also back this year. It's always a favorite, and those quilts do so much good for so many! Quilty Hugs gives quilts to cancer patients through the Rack Pack, Primary Children's Hospital, and various chemo labs. They are given to the patient for their own personal use. Emily accepts quilts of all sizes, from 48" square to twin size (approximately 65" x 88").
Victoria's Quilts Canada
Linda Miller has once again volunteered to be a collection point for quilt tops for Victorias Quilts Canada. Here's a little bit about their organization:
The mission of Victoria's Quilts Canada is to provide handmade quilts to people living with cancer in Canada. By providing these quilts we hope to bring physical comfort to those dealing with cancer, was well as spiritual comfort in knowing they are not alone in their struggle.
Donations for this charity will be a little bit different, so take careful note: quilt TOPS only, measuring 50" x 70", made of 100% cotton. Linda is located in Canada, so this charity will be particularly convenient for our Canadian participants, and if anyone elsewhere chooses to participate, the postage will be significantly reduced as opposed to mailing a completed quilt.
Mennonite Central Committee
While the Mennonite Central Committee, or MCC as it is best known, is not a small charity group, they have a new program underway that may appeal to some of you.
One of their many ministries is the comforter program. By the end of 2023, their goal is to donate a grand total of 45,000 blankets to our global neighbors who are dealing with conflict and disaster. Linda Miller is volunteering to be a collection point for comforter tops, which she will then take to her local MCC resource center to be tied into comforters. They have more people ready to tie than they have sewists, so they welcome tops. This year there is so much need in Turkey and the Ukraine, and my own personal hope is that many of the tops they make will go there!
THIS DONATION WILL BE TOPS ONLY. The tops can be fancy or utilitarian. The fabric does not have to be 100% cotton, either, so this is an opportunity to use up fabric you may not be able to use elsewhere! You should use new or nearly new fabric, and they prefer twin size (60" x 80") but will also accept double size (82" x 90"). As you only need to make tops for this donation, the shipping will once again be less than sending a finished quilt.
I hope to have one more group to add to this list, but I am still waiting for confirmation from them!
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I'm still working on the calendar, but you should have until sometime in early June to complete and donate your quilts or quilt tops. I should have all that info ready for you next week!
And now for the sign-ups! Thankfully, I re-learned how to use the Google Forms that has made this task much easier over the past few years, so we have this much easier way to get info. None of your information will be used for any purpose other than the Hands2Help Challenge - you won't be put on a mailing list to be sold, I promise! But it helps me keep things straight and organized, so please fill out all the fields carefully. (Also, please ignore where it shows my email address and says "switch accounts". I have no idea why that is showing and can't figure out how to make it go away - and have no idea what would happen if you should switch accounts!)
Be sure to scroll through all of the questions and click the Submit button at the bottom of the form!
Let the fun begin!!!
Hugs!
Sarah
