HELPING OUR COMMUNITY
Make a Difference spotlights small ways you can make a big difference in the community. If your nonprofit organization has a wish list it would like to share, please contact Meredith Moss: MMoss@coxohio.com
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Stitches United is marking its 10th anniversary year.
Members of the New Carlisle organization sew, kit and crochet for those in need. All are volunteers and many come from throughout the Miami Valley.
The project was the brainstorm of Anne Brewer who is still its driving force.
“For the Dayton VA hospital and Hospice we make pillows, lap blankets, catheter covers, wheelchair and walker bags, and finger therapy pillows,” says Brewer. “We have children’s chemo hats available, and for adult cancer patients we make drain bags, chemo hats in three different styles, and breast prostheses for women who haven’t had reconstructive surgery.”
Last year “Stitches United sent out more than 3,166 items.
Volunteers are key
Brewer says volunteers needn’t be experienced sewers, there are jobs for those at every skill level.
“We make dog beds with our scraps, and those are simple to make,” she said. “With prices going up on everything and older or ill people finding it harder to afford the small niceties, we hope to make a difference.”
The group of ladies — and a few men — work out of their homes at their convenience. They get together the first Tuesday of each month for a show-and-tell.
Brewer says its not just the recipients who benefit from the project; volunteers gain a lot as well.
“One woman told me this has been a godsend for her because she now feels needed again,” Brewer said.
If you’d like to learn more about the group and what they do, you can come to a gathering at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, at United Methodist Church, 100 Broad St. in Fairborn. Brewer is the special guest.
Here’s what the group can use:
- Fabric
- Flannel
- Fleece
- Cotton/blend
- Velcro (not sticky back)
- 3/8-1/2" wide elastic,
- Polyester stuffing for pillows and bears for cancer patients
- Yarn— not craft or rug yarn
- Thread
- Double-wide bias tape
- Thread
- Batting
- Grosgrain/satin ribbon 1/4"wide and up
- Cording used for drawstrings.
“We also need people with a desire to help pin, cut, tie, string drawstrings, sew, knit or crochet, deliver and pickup,” Brewer says.
If you have items you’d like to donate or have picked up, you’re asked to call Brewer at (937) 845-1697. For more info contact Anne Brewer by email at: ambrwr0045424@yahoo.com. Be sure to put “Stitches United” in the subject line.
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