AJ, I'm sorry about the break...but still welcome to the Quilt Board!
Cutting: you've already been given advice on how you might hold down the ruler but I second getting someone (spouse, child, friend) to help with some of the cutting. I've helped my step mom as she has arthritis and can't do a lot of cutting. Another suggestion would be a cutting machine if you can fit it into your budget, again stepmom got one of these to help.
Pre-cuts: Go to YouTube and search for Missouri Star Quilt Co (MSQC) tutorials. Jenny is famous for providing simple patterns using pre-cuts.
Donation quilts: It's wonderful that you want to quilt for those less fortunate. You don't mention where you are located but you should see if there are local guilds or local quilt shops that can point you in the right direction. Or you can google to look for organizations that provide and distribute the quilts.
Again, welcome to the QB and I hope you continue to heal quickly to get back doing the things you love!
