Quilt Donations

What could be more wonderful than giving the gift of comfort to someone in need. Quilters love to help others, but they may not always know who can use a quilt. So today I'd like to let you know about some of the organizations that would love to have a donated quilt. There are numerous options. The person who sold me their longarm quilt, I bought it used, was very active in quilting quilts for the children's oncology ward until she too became a cancer patient, and needed to retire from longarm quilting. But that was her special niche in life was providing quilts to the oncology ward. The children love them. My particular guild, Quaking Aspen Quilt Guild in Boulder, Colorado provides quilts to a women's shelter, battered women's shelter and also to a local hospital for the neonatal unit. The neonatal unit had very, very specific requirements though, regarding the fabric, the banning and even the size of the quilt. But every neonatal baby, every premature baby went home with a quilt and the parents really appreciated that special gift of love. Local veterinarians offices love quilts. The dogs just love to root around in them and rat around and get that quilt made into the most perfect little bed to snuggle in while they're having, you know, before and after they have a procedure done. Local animal shelters likewise love to have quilts for the dogs waiting for adoption or the cats. Project Linus is a national program for children. They have National Make a Blanket Day on the third Saturday in February. There are local chapters in every state in the union. So you might wanna visit their website. You don't necessarily have to be a member of the chapter, but you can check and see what their requirements are, or if they're doing a specific pattern that year and make quilts that are then used by firemen and police to help out children in need in times of crisis. Another entity that accepts quilts is Quilts of Valor. This is a wonderful program, a national program for veterans and active duty service members. They have a national sew day. They also, one thing that sets them apart is that they award the quilts. There's actually a presentation ceremony where usually the hospital chaplain is presenting the quilt to the injured veteran. There are specific requirements as far as sizes, materials, labels, and the like. So make sure you go to their website and find out what those requirements are. Fire and police departments are always looking for quilts, again for times of crisis for both grown ups and children. As are homeless shelters, the homeless always can use a quilt. VA hospitals look for quilts other than the Quilts of Valor program. They love to get the quilts for the veterans. You can also check with your local guild, local quilt guilds, look them up, see who's in the area. You may not be a member of that guild, but I'm sure they have different organizations that they give quilts to and they would be more than happy to take your donation. What about wall quilts? I mean, we're talking bed quilts here. We're talking lap quilts. We're talking baby quilts. But what about wall quilts? Well, there's a place for our little wall quilts. Maybe we've outgrown them, maybe our decor has changed, but they're still cheerful and they still would be a wonderful addition especially in a hospital room or in a nursing home to brighten the environment of people who are in those situations. Again, I always say check with the organization first to see if number one, are they accepting quilts? Believe it or not, some places have more than enough, but they're few and far between. So check to see if they're accepting quilts and then make sure that they're, that you're aware of any special requirements that the organization may have. And again, bless you for doing this because it is a wonderful gift. And so many people would appreciate the warmth and comfort of your quilt.