This is the perfect time in the year to highlight the incredible impact of all the hard-working quilt sisters and brothers who have done so much through community outreach to make Thurston County a better place to live. Community outreach has grown by leaps and bounds even during this difficult time due to the efforts of all of you.  This is the perfect time to recognize those efforts and to thank those who have given so much to others in need.  These efforts have made this community a better place.

Community outreach has supplied Christmas Stockings, Easter Bags, Summer Lunch Bags, Baby Quilts, Burp Cloths, Grocery Bags, and Receiving Blankets for the Thurston County Food Bank. Additionally, we have supplied quilts for families devastated by fire loss, placemats for our seniors through meals on wheels, baby items for five different baby banks, quilts for foster children, quilts for seniors at Roo Lan, and we cannot forget the 6000 cloth masks made for our first responders at the beginning of the pandemic.

Community Outreach developed a donation process which has developed a reputation as an essential distribution center for donations from the estates, quilters who can no longer sew, and those that are just trying to reduce their stash.  Over the last several years we have accepted many donations but primarily over 20,000 yards of fabric. Community outreach kept about 40% of those fabric donations with remainder used to raise funds through Fabric Palozza and gifted to other sister guilds and sew groups for their needs and servicing the community.

(Please Note: Community outreach has temporarily placed a pause on accepting and distributing donations.) 

This sounds like a lot of work, but there are a lot of wonderful and generous quilters who have sewed at home, sewed in small B’s, and sewed at the Gull Harbor Lutheran Church.  Many, many thanks go out to the ladies who have helped in making our Guild proud and Outreach such a success.  All this was done despite the impacts of Covid 19.  We thank everybody (too numerous to list and fear of missing someone) who has contributed time, energy, and love to make Community Outreach a wonderful part of the Guild.

As we go forward to the new year this is a great opportunity for each of you to think about joining the community outreach’s efforts.

While 2020 has been a difficult year for most everybody, it has been a banner year for the amazing people who have worked on our Community Outreach projects.  We cannot thank these wonderful people enough for their skills, their charitable spirit, and their time to give to others who have suffered through this year.  An example of what they have achieved can best be stated in a quote from one of the Thurston County Food Bank (TCFB) donation sites:  " For most of these children, this is the only gift they will get for Christmas."  This is referring to the 2,000 Christmas stocking, 15 large shopping bags of food, and the 740 Beanie Babies that Community Outreach donated to the Food Bank (Other organizations have also contributed to help fill the Stockings with toys, food, and games)  Additionally, we gave TCFB: 268 large cloth shopping bags, 62 knitted hats, 46 receiving blankets, 25 burp cloths, 30 cloth Covid masks, 2 wall hangings, 8 onesies, 2 infant sets, 33 baby quilts, 6 pairs of knitted mittens, 10 scarves, 7 knitted blankets, 63 pillow cases, and 300 candy canes. 

 

Sounds like a lot, but Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater police and fire departments, as well as other first responders, received over 6,000 cloth Covid masks.  97 quilts were donated to Dept of Children, Youth, and Families ( DSHS).  Olympia Church of Christ Baby Bank received 8 crib quilts, 9 receiving blankets, and 3 knitted blankets.  Layers of Hope 911 received 2 twin bed,, 1 crib, 2 double bed, and 1 queen quilt.  Family Support received 12 bed, 10 crib quilts, and 1 cloth shopping bag.  Thurston County Meals on Wheels received 215 placemats.  Roo Lan Convalescent Center received 9 bed quilts and 21 adult bibs. Okanogan Fire Victims 1 king and 1 queen quilts.  Oregon Fire Victims received 2 bed quilts.

 

Once again we want to thank all the many people who gave and gave to help others.  We fear that, if we tried to list everyone, we might miss someone.  That said, you know who you are, and we say, sincerely, thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

Pat Zarp & Lorna Smith, Co-Chairs Community Outreach