The world has seen a lot of tragedy lately. Earthquakes, tornados, fires, and more. Your heart breaks a little bit each time you hear the stories and see the images. More often than not, however, the stories remain part of the nightly news. We talk about it at the dinner table or the office, we might even send in a donation or two to a charitable organization. We each do what we can.
After a particularly trying time myself I decided that I needed to do more than talk and read about it. To break out of my own grief I needed to help others. The images of houses completely gone, evidence of people's lives lived just destroyed were powerful. The thought of rebuilding seems so remote at those times.
Quilts Recover is about providing just one bit of comfort during that rebuilding process. Quilts Recover is quilters providing finished quilts to communities ravaged by disaster.
As of today, Quilts Recover is accepting donations of unused quilts to donate to communities where the rebuilding process is occurring. We accept functional quilts only - no comforters, bedding, duvets, or blankets. All quilts must qualify as lap/nap or bed quilts. All quilts must be complete - no unquilted tops please. Quilts will then be labelled and donated, through registered charitable organizations on site, to target communities.
The first target community is Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada. Earlier this month, May, a wildfire swept through the town of about 7000 people. Nearly half the homes and businesses were destroyed, utterly consumed by the fire. People are only returning to their homes now. Quilts Recover will provide as many quilts as possible to families rebuilding their lives in Slave Lake.
To donate a quilt please contact me directly at quiltsrecover@gmail.com.
Quilts Recover will accept donations of clean, unused, and functional quilts for Slave Lake until July 31. 2011. All quilts will then be labelled and donated. I'll keep you posted on arrivals and delivery times.
The first two quilts will be coming from my own pile of finished work. Quilts I enjoyed making, quilts that someone else can use more than being stored in my cupboards.
Thank-you for your support and donations. I'm looking forward to seeing what the community of quilters can do.
Thank-you to Cathryn Ironside for her generous work on the Quilts Recover logo.