WESTERN MANITOULIN—Thanks to the efforts of a team that uses their hands to help provide quilts, infant care items and much more, this group of caring individuals is helping people in need around the world through the Kits and Quilts program.
“Jan Joyce brought this program forward and the turnout for the first session of working together was tremendous. And it is very good that a handful of us stayed with it and others have come forward to help out,” said Lynette Burton. “I’m very glad Jan (Joyce) gave me an opportunity to help out. It is a great place to go, where we volunteer our time, make new friends and know we are doing something to help others.”
“I take so much goodness from working with the other ladies in the group,” said Ms. Burton. “The people, families and children that we help will never know us or see us, but we give from our hearts,” said Ms. Burton.
“We’re a small group but we help to make a difference,” stated Jan Joyce, a member of a group of people that has been part of the ‘Kits and Quilts’ team from the United Church in Meldrum Bay and Silver Water, which partnered with Mennonite Central Committee to make hand make comfort quilts, infant care items, as well as put together hygiene kits and school kits to distribute to countries in need and have been doing so since 2019. “We have about 20 people involved and have about 8-10 people come out each week.”
“We’ve been doing this since 2019,” said Ms. Joyce. “We gather twice a month in the Meldrum Bay community hall (except during the winter) and make items like comfort quilts, infant clothing gowns, blankets, knitted hats, children’s clothing and put together hygiene and school kits.”
“This year we put together 1,200 hygiene quilts, 31 quilts and 350 pieces of infant care clothing,” said Ms. Joyce. The hygiene quilts include such items as hand towels, toothbrushes, soap, nail clippers and a comb.
“We started out with humble beginnings in 2019,” continued Ms. Joyce. “Since 2019 in total we have put together over 4,300 hygiene kits, 143 tied comfort quilts, 640 infant care items (gowns, blankets, knitted hats) and 270 school kits.”
Mennonite Central Committee for distribution to needy people in the Ukraine and other countries throughout the world.
The Mennonite Central Committee distributes all the items, loading them into sea containers and designate them as humanitarian need, explained Ms. Joyce. “Most of the work we have done will go to Ukraine this year, and other refugees around the world.”
“And we are supported by the folks in our group who give of their time and talents, as well as all those who give gifts in kind and provide donations,” said Ms. Joyce who said, “We graciously accept cotton fabric.”
“Our summer folks travel back home around this time of the year, and they take the boxes with the items we have made and drop them off at the central station in southern Ontario,” said Ms. Burton. “I think it is fantastic that I was asked to join this group.” She explained that her friend Connie Townsend had told her, ‘You should come to our quilting group.’ At first, I thought, ‘no thanks,’ but now jump forward a few years and I’m so glad to be part of this.”
Ms. Burton said that she has multiple sclerosis which makes it difficult to do some tasks, but she usually does the stringing of the bags for the items. “And Peggy (Morrison) showed me how to stitch and in time I learned how. I did it, and it gave me inspiration to do a mini quilt for myself.”
“Everything we are doing is so rewarding,” said Ms. Burton. “Everyone is happy to help and we contribute from a place in the world that most people don’t know about. We have probably impacted the lives of 6,000 people over the years. It’s not much to give, but it is so important.”
Ms. Joyce pointed out, “what we do is one thing, the other component of all of this is the social gathering and working together to help others someone else.”
“It is heartwarming to know at the end of the season that we have done more than what had been set out as our goal for the season and that we are helping so many people,” added Ms. Burton.
