~ by Irina VanPatten
With the war in Ukraine in its 5th year, and the news from Ukraine fading in the background, it’s difficult for people to stay up to date with what is happening there. When we remind people that the war isn’t over, and that the Ukrainians are still fighting against Russian aggression every day, we hear all the time: “I feel terrible about Ukraine, but I’m just one person with limited resources, what can I do?”
Here is the thing. Monetary donations are not the only thing that helps Ukraine. Sometimes, all you need are your skills and the desire to help. A group of quilters at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Seattle proves that one person can make a huge difference, one needle and one thread at a time.
The group has been together for over 10 years. Some have been sewing since they were 10, and some, for more than 50 years. Some just started a few years back. They gather once a week at their church in a few rooms, equipped with simple tables and a donated, giant, quilting
sewing machine, where they not only build quilts, they create art out of fabric.
“People come and go,” Diana, the organizer of the group, said. “When they come, they pick their own project.”
Their mission has provided humanitarian aid both internationally and domestically in the form of quilted treasures, like blankets, backpacks with reusable hygiene supplies, items for midwives and newborns, quilted toys called Bears of Hope and medical play dolls for children. Wherever there is need, their gifts go. Nepal, Haiti, Guatemala, Venezuela, Ukraine and now even to Gaza.
“We get fabric donated to us,” Diana said. “But we also buy a lot of it ourselves.”
“I have a full house stacked with fabric,” said Sage, another quilting volunteer. Her partner David, who’s a doctor and goes to missions to Guatemala twice a year, said: “I’m the fabric storage keeper. As soon as the kids move out, more fabric comes in,” he added with a
smile.
Why do they help Ukraine? “About two years ago, I was just listening to the news, and I felt terrible and heartbroken for people of Ukraine,” Diana said.
“Diana got me involved,” Patti, another quilting volunteer, said. “But I also volunteer at a food bank where I met these two wonderful Ukrainian women, and when they told me that their homes in Ukraine got bombed, I just couldn’t be a bystander.”
They came to one of our Thursday meetings at European Foods in Shoreline to meet us in person. They were so impressed by our volunteer work, they offered to help the best they knew how: by quilting and donating their quilts and Bears of Hope to UDS to raise money for Ukraine. Soon after that, they gave UDS several beautiful quilts and about 30 Bears of Hope that were an instant hit, and were sold at one of our fundraising spring banquets. The money we raised was immediately converted into generators, electrical batteries, medical supplies, and other humanitarian aid, badly needed in Ukraine.
This year they have also donated a quilt for our upcoming UDS banquet and auction, May 16.
It’s amazing what a group of empathetic and caring people, with a good sense of humor and strong ties to their community, can do for Ukraine when they put their hearts to it. We are eternally grateful to be their friends, as are the people of Ukraine who are receiving the
aid made possible by their beautiful quilts.
