Hundreds of locally made quilts will go to those in need
They came from across the Inland Northwest in cars, pickups and even U-Haul trucks, all delivering precious cargo. Their destination, a loading dock at the rail yard near Trent and Fancher in Spokane Valley.
The cargo was quilts – hundreds of them. And the people were participants in Lutheran World Relief. This organization, according to the LWR Web site, works in 35 countries to promote strong communities, sound agricultural methods and disaster recovery.
From Spokane Valley, the loaded rail car will travel to Baltimore. That’s where the donations will be sorted and sent to countries like Bolivia and Nepal.
While quilts made up the bulk of the cargo, other items were included, such as soap, health kits, school kits, sewing supplies and infant layettes. Karen Ovnicek, coordinator for the Inland Northwest donations, said local people work hard throughout the year to prepare for these semi-annual collections.
About 45 churches from the Spokane area, as well as northeast Oregon, North Idaho and the Tri-Cities area, participated. Many are small congregations in small towns, with only a handful of women who sew. Recently, several of these sewing groups gathered for tea at Bethlehem Lutheran Church on the South Hill. They reported impressive outputs. “My group has six women,” one participant said, “and we made 45 quilts in the last six months.” Another indicated similar results: “We have four women, and we made 35 quilts.”
Ovnicek responded enthusiastically to these numbers, believing the people who make quilts and donate quilting supplies have a heart for the poor. “I’m just amazed at the ladies – what they can do. It’s a ministry with them.”
Alice Niemeier, director of the quilting group at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Spokane, agrees. “For a while we had only about six people working on quilts, but now we’re up to 12,” she said. She’s quick to add that not all of them can sew. “Our nonsewers do cutting and ironing. They help tie the quilts, too.”
According to Niemeier, Lutheran World Relief has collected quilts and other donations from the Inland Northwest for the past 40 years. “I even remember my mother being involved when I was young,” she said.
Most of the quilts measure about 60- by 80-inches and they’re made with a variety of fabrics, including denim and polyester. The goal is to create sturdy bedcovers, not showpieces. Even the choice of batting is practical rather than aesthetic. Some quilts contain gently used sheets or blankets, while others have commercial cotton or polyester. Much depends on the donations they receive from church members and other interested persons, said Niemeier.
St. John’s quilters contributed about 30 bedcovers to this World Relief shipment. “But we also make quilts for various local needs, like Hope House,” Niemeier said.
Anyone can participate in these kinds of projects, she added. “All you need is a desire to help somebody.” That desire, multiplied countless times in other churches across the United States, touches lives in remote places around the world.
“We’re just a small number,” Niemeier said, referring to her church group. “But this same type of thing is going on all over the country.”