When you give a finished quilt, there's no question about how your charity dollars were spent.
I gratefully drop a few dollars in the Salvation Army Pot every Christmas, give to the March of Dimes around Easter, and happily purchase more than I should eat when the Girl Scout Cookies go on sale. I contribute to my local boy and girl scout camp fund, to Big Brothers Big Sisters, and to at least one local high school music department. I encourage everyone to donate regularly to Fisher House. And when I can, I write a check to the local group that spays and neuters pets for senior citizens.
But I balk like a mule at mailing a check or giving out my credit card information to any of the charity causes I see on TV. Likewise for the brochures and pleading letters that come in the mail. And let's don't even talk about the shameless telemarketer calls claiming to be from any charity group. Most of them are outright scams that should be reported to law enforcement.
The Linus program was my first introduction to a group that lovingly accepts the fruits of my quilting efforts. Lately I've learned of many more deserving groups to add to my list of quilt receivers. (Note* Yes, it's fine to put a label on your gift quilt to announce that it is a gift made by loving hands, but please safeguard your identity; don't include your name or any contact information. If you want to give credit somewhere, you can name your quilting club and/or your city, but please nothing more than that.
These groups don't care or question a slightly-off-center seam, or the corner that isn't quite square. They don't complain if my choice of colors didn't work as well as I thought it would, or if the fabrics are a mish-mash of scraps from that old box of fabric tailings in my closet. They only care that it is clean, and ready to give.
I also learned a major key in being useful is to search out a cause with a local delivery point. Supporting your local community increases the value of your effort.
At least two hospitals here in Las Vegas have Children's Cancer Wards -- you can call your local hospitals for information on their pediatric wards and what they can accept. Our local police and fire department have annual programs for charity, but when asked, they were also happy to accept donation quilts to give to children who are victims of crime or who've lost a home due to fire.
Nearly all communities have a homeless shelter you could contact for information on how to donate a quilt, especially to a homeless family with children.
And don't forget to check with your local animal shelter. One of the quilting groups I belong to makes quilted pads to put into the cage so a sheltered dog or cat doesn't have to sleep on the concrete floor. When a dog or cat is adopted, the donated "bed" goes home with it.
When I volunteered to make a quilt for the Alliance For Smiles program with one of the guild's I belong to, I learned quickly that as much as they are needed, the size of the quilts must be restricted to allow shipping quantities of them overseas. Two small quilts will ship for less than one large one; more small quilts than large ones will fit in the same size packing crate. Also the timing of completion needs to coincide with the schedule of the volunteer doctors and their staff who will give them out. But none of that makes their cause any less deserving of our work if you finish something you'd like to contribute.
Do you have more suggestions? Email me so I can add to the list.
Happy Quilting!
LLoni@WeLoveToQuilt.com
