Quilting for Charity: Ways To Donate Your Creations
Avid quilters often end up making more quilts than they know what to do with. You can use them around your home and gift them to loved ones, but eventually, everyone has enough quilts. How can you keep quilting without overloading yourself or your loved ones?
The answer is quilting for charity. There are multiple ways to donate your quilted creations, but global and local charities are the best and easiest options.
Sew Quilts for Children at Ronald McDonald Houses
Ronald McDonald House Charities is a global charity that provides housing for people who have loved ones in the hospital. Most of their residents are children and their families looking for safe places and experiences during long, arduous hospital stays. One way this charity provides safety within their housing and beyond is by letting children pick out a quilt to keep after their stay. This is called their Comfort Quilt Program, which accepts quilts of all sizes. We recommend twin-sized quilts since this is the common size of a child’s mattress and should fit a hospital bed. However, you can make smaller quilts for younger patients and larger quilts for older patients.
Provide Comfort for Cancer Patients With Victoria’s Quilts
Victoria’s Quilts was created in memoriam for a cancer patient named Victoria who loved to quilt. She frequently mentioned to family members how cold she felt during her chemotherapy treatments, which sparked the charity idea. They founded Victoria’s Quilts to provide physical warmth as well as emotional comfort to cancer patients in Canada and the US. Any quilt you hope to donate here should have fleece backing since this is one of the warmest options. They accept quilts in different sizes for adults and children.
Support Injured Soldiers and Veterans Through Quilts of Valor
Quilts can also comfort injured soldiers and veterans through Quilts of Valor. These items are seen as a tribute to an injured soldier or veteran who sacrificed for their country, either the US or Canada. While patriotic themes for the appropriate country are appreciated, you can sew any themed quilt you want. Since all these quilts are for adults, they do require the quilt is at least 55" by 70".
Donate Quilts Locally to Hospitals, Churches, Animal Shelters, and More
You don’t have to sew a quilt for a specific charity if you don’t want to. Instead, quilt and donate within your local community. Many hospitals appreciate quilt donations to comfort patients and people stuck in waiting rooms. Churches often accept quilt donations for children and senior adult ministries. If you’ve messed up in a quilting project and worry that humans won’t appreciate the final look, donate your quilt to an animal shelter to comfort pets as they wait for a new home. Nursing homes, fire and police stations, and domestic violence shelters are also great donation options.
Quilting for charity is a great way to help others while creatively expressing yourself. The different ways to donate your creations that we listed above are the best places to get started on your donation journey. If you want to start quilting for charity now, our online quilt shop in Canada can help you find all the supplies you need for a charitable project.
