Welcome to the Quilter’s guide to giving back and getting involved. There are so many ways to show support to those in need, and quilters everywhere are making a difference. You might remember Quilts of Valor from one of our past quilting festivals, and you might find an organization that you’ve never heard of before on this list! Either way, we hope you get to utilize your quilting talent for a good cause. 

 

https://www.qovf.org/ 

The Mission of the Quilts of Valor® Foundation is to cover Service Members and Veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.

“Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 with a dream, literally a dream. Founder Catherine Roberts’ son Nat was deployed in Iraq.  

According to Catherine: The dream was as vivid as real life. I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my dream was:  Quilts = Healing.

The model appeared simple: have a volunteer team who would donate their time and materials to make a quilt. One person would piece the top and the other would quilt it. I saw the name for this special quilt: it was Quilt of Valor, a QOV.”

 

How to get involved:

Monetary Donations

Monetary donations can be made using this link. You can securely donate via credit card or check through our online process. You can also mail a check made payable to Quilts of Valor Foundation to:

Quilts of Valor Foundation

P.O. Box 191

Winterset, IA 50273

 

Donate to a Local Group

You can donate to a group in your local area or any registered QOV group. To donate online to a specific group:

1. Find the group on the Who’s In My Area? page;

2. Select the group you wish to support;

3. Click the donate link and complete the online form;

4. Your donation will be placed in the group’s account.

 

Fabric Donations

We accept donations of quality 100% cotton quilting weight fabric that is new or like new (free of odors, stains, and never been used). Bear in mind most recipients will choose a red, white, and blue quilt over a non-patriotic one given the opportunity. 

Fabric Donation Form

Other ways to get involved with QOV:

• Smile@Amazon

• Sponsorship

• Investments

• Generations of Service

 

https://www.projectlinus.org/ 

 

At Project Linus, a non-profit organization, we provide new handmade blankets to children in need. Our blankets are lovingly made by adults and children from all walks of life and many different sources.

On Christmas Eve, 1995, an article titled “Joy to the World” appeared in Parade Magazine. It was written by Pulitzer Prize winning photo-journalist, Eddie Adams. Part of the article featured a petite, downy haired child named Laura:

“Laura has unusual compassion for others,” Charlotte Barry-Williams of Oceanside, California, says of her daughter, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 1993. “I guess part of the reason is that she has experienced so much pain herself.”

A special “blankie” has helped Laura, 3, get through more than two years of intensive chemotherapy. She takes it to the hospital with her when she goes for treatment. When she was first diagnosed, 97 percent of her bone marrow contained cancerous cells. Although chemotherapy has helped eradicate the cancer, she has had to endure nausea, high fevers and the loss of her hair. An allergic reaction at one point caused her to lose vital signs.

“She doesn’t understand what cancer means,” her mother says. “She’s a very joyous and happy person, very curious.” Her mother hopes Laura can start preschool next spring.

After reading the article, Karen Loucks decided to provide new handmade security blankets to Denver’s Rocky Mountain Children’s Cancer Center, and Project Linus was born.

 

How to get involved:

Monetary Donations

You can make a monetary donation online (preferred), or mail-in your check or money order. 

 

AmazonSmile 

You can also donate to Project Linus every time you shop on Amazon with AmazonSmile. 

 

ECHOage

If you are planning any sort of event, we’ve partnered with ECHOage where invited guests can contribute both to group gifts AND Project Linus. Select the way you want to donate today!

 

https://bagsofloveinc.org/ 

Bags of Love provides necessities and comfort items to children who are in crisis due to neglect, abuse, poverty or homelessness.

“For 14 years, Bags of Love has supported children of Lane County suffering from abuse, neglect, poverty, or homelessness.

A Bag of Love provides every child we connect with the essentials: clothing, toiletries, toys, books, school supplies, and a handmade quilt or fleece blanket. For a child in crisis, a Bag of Love delivers support and comfort at the time he or she is most vulnerable.

In 2008, our founding year, we distributed 25 Bags of Love to children in need. By the end of 2021, that number had increase to more than 3,400. Since our inception, more than 23,000 local kids have received a Bag of Love. Bags of Love exists because of the support of more than 165 volunteers in 2021 alone who contributed more than 28,000 hours of their time to sew quilts, sort donations, put together bags, and keep the warehouse running.”

 

How to get involved:

Monetary Donations

Click to make a secure online donation via PayPal. 

 

If you’d prefer to donate by check, our mailing address is:

Bags of Love

1052 Green Acres Rd.

Eugene, OR 97408

 

Donate Quilts

Whether quilted, crocheted, or knitted, blankets and quilts are staples of each Bag of Love. Find sizes and instructions for each age group here. 

 

Donate Items

To distribute 3,400 bags per year, Bags of Love relies on the generosity of donors. We’re always grateful for donations of the following new or gently used items for kids ages 0-18 (sizes infant-adult 4X). Stop by our warehouse at 1052 Green Acres Rd. (in the Market of Choice shopping center), or drop off a donation at one of the barrel locations listed below.

• Clothes for kids of all ages

• Sweatshirts, hoodies, and coats

• New socks and underwear

• New pajamas

• Disposable diapers

• Toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand sanitizer

• Baby products: baby wipes, diaper cream, tear-free shampoo

• Hair products: brushes, combs, barrettes/hair ties

• Stuffed animals

• Books appropriate for children and teens

• Toys for kids of all ages

• Activities or games for teenagers

• Accessories for teenagers (wallets, fun jewelry, etc.)

• School supplies: notebook paper, spiral notebooks, pencils, pens, colored pencils, kids’ scissors, erasers, calculators

• Material suitable for quilting

• Cotton/broadcloth in solid or kid-friendly patterns for sewing bags (one-yard minimum)

• Rolls of batting for our quilters

• Quilt tops that our sewers or quilters can finish

• Large (60″x48″) tie-your-own fleece blanket kits

 

http://freedomquilts.net/ 

Freedom Quilts, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of comforting mourning families. Throughout the past years, our efforts have been dedicated to those families who have lost a loved one in the 9/11 tragedy and to the families of our fallen soldiers. Freedom Quilts creates unique, personalized quilts for family members who have lost a loved one in the line of duty. Families are not charged for these handmade quilts. They are free… they are gifts of love and compassion.

Freedom Quilts began with a small vision to make five hand-made quilts dedicated to the victims of September 11th. Betty spent sleepless hours in her living room piecing together those five quilts. With the help of friends and neighbors, the five original quilts were soon completed. But with this success, Betty’s determination only grew. She set out on a new quest… to make a quilt in honor of every September 11th victim.

To achieve her goal, Betty enlisted friends, neighbors, congregations and perfect strangers across the country in an effort to make thousands of quilts for 9-11 family members. And, people across the country heeded her call.

Hearts opened, and quilts came pouring in. The Nielsen’s Iowa farm home was soon transformed into a quilt shop and storehouse. In order to make sure these precious, hand-made gives of love made it to family members, founders Betty and Dennis made several trips across the country to personally deliver quilts to comfort mourning families. Their travels took them to families and firefighters across the east coast and beyond. Visits with family members included stops to Ground Zero, Washington DC, Boston and more.

 

How to get involved:

Monetary Donations

Help support Freedom Quilts with a monetary donation. Your donation goes towards fabric, batting and thread.  With your help, we can continue to purchase the supplies needed to create these comforting quilts.

 

To make a monetary donation, please send a check to the following address:

Freedom Quilts, Inc.

c/o Betty Nielsen

13637 550th Street

Fonda, IA 50540

 

Donate a Quilt

Share your talents and give the gift of a quilt to help comfort mourning families. Do you love to quilt? Then surely, you know how comforting and full of love a quilt can be. Donating your completed quilt to Freedom Quilts is a wonderful way to join our cause.

 

Donate your quilt to Freedom Quilts and help comfort a family in need. To donate your quilt, please send your quilt to the following address:

Freedom Quilts, Inc.

c/o Betty Nielsen

13637 550th Street

Fonda, IA 50540

 

https://www.snuggledinhopequilts.com/ 

Snuggled in Hope Quilts' Mission is to provide a handmade quilt and a pillowcase for each camper that attends a summer session of camp at Flying Horse Farms and provide a quilt and a pillowcase for each family member that attends a spring or fall Family Camp weekend. 

Quilts and pillowcases are used during their stay at camp and can be taken home when they leave.We endeavor to recruit volunteers who will assist us in creating these quilts and pillowcases, so that our supply exceeds the number of quilts needed for campers each year.

Flying Horse Farms is located a few miles outside of Mt. Gilead, Ohio, and is part of Paul Newman's Serious Fun Children's Network; a place where children diagnosed with a serious illness can be a kid and where camp is good medicine. 

“Snuggled in Hope Quilts was formed in the spring of 2012.  We are completely volunteer, and donation based; 100% of operating costs are funded by the generosity of donors.  100% of monetary donations go directly back into our mission. We receive no funds from Flying Horse Farms.”

 

How to get involved:

Kroger Community Rewards

We are registered with the Kroger Community Rewards program. (Organization # D1290) - You buy your groceries and we get a small donation. 

 

Amazon Smile

Snuggled in Hope Quilts is on Amazon's Smile Charity Lists. All charity accounts are verified so you can give / donate worry-free.

Click on the Amazon Smile Logo or Read More to select Snuggled in Hope Quilts as your charitable organization.  When you choose Snuggled as your charity of choice, whenever you shop from Amazon Smile we will get a small donation from each purchase!

 

Guide Star 

We’re excited to share that our organization has earned a 2022 Silver Seal of Transparency with Guide Star Candid! This allows you to donate directly to Network for Good and ensures that your donation is properly distributed. You may now directly support our work with trust and confidence. #NonprofitProfile: Snuggled In Hope Quilts, Inc.

 

Happy quilting, 

The Grace Family