Charity quilts
 

Recently in my local, maternity centers are confessing they can’t use infant quilts. One center even confessed that their very full warehouse got rain damage. Being hot and humid Florida all the contents were destroyed by mold. Thousands of donated infant quilts wasted.
We want to help those in need, not waste our resources to be trashed.
With much effort, we finally dragged out of the rep what they could actually use…..diaper bags, burp cloths, bibs

Another maternity center sent a list of items they could use. Infant quilts was definitely not on the list.

What’s happening in your area?

My current sewing group supports several options. They mostly make receiving blankets and burp cloths from flannel. They also make totes.

It is my understanding that blankets/quilts aren't recommended for infants until over 1 year. Many organizations for things like premie or medical comfort blankets have very strict fabric (and thread, batting) requirements as well as size.

I like larger projects anyway, so I look for foster kid and "transitional housing" (typically families fleeing domestic abuse). I prefer organizations that let the recipients choose what they want -- you could be delighted with one of my projects while being dismayed with another.

PS -- a lot of animal shelters don't want projects filled with fabric trims either. They don't wash well.

Just heard a tid-bit about animal beds….. Dogs chew holes in them allowing the tiny bits of fabric to spill out and then get washed down drains, clogging sewer lines. They’d rather have large pieces folded and stuffed into covers

My grandchildren do not have quilts or blankets. The maternity centers do not want anything. Too many germs can be brought in and the hospital provides the needed items while mom and baby are still in the hospital. The nurse said all soiled items are put in a bin and she didn't know what happens to them after that. I volunteer at an animal shelter, most of them do not want blankets, they will take used towels. I was told most shelters do not provide anything for the animals to sleep on. It's easier for the staff to put the animals outside while the staff hoses down the cages. The exception to that is the cats.

I sew with a humanitarian group. We make "newborn kits." Each kit includes a gown, hat, booties, burp cloth, bib, stuffed animal and receiving blanket. If they're going to Ecuador, we include cloth diapers, which the local charities don't want.

A guild I am in gives quilts to 3 local organizations that help with early childhood. They supply things for families who have physical needs, but also who need help in learning to care for children. They are given 15 at a time, and the bundles are rotated through the 3 charities so that they are not overwhelmed with them all at once.

Our guild does comfort quilts that go to the types of family/child charities noted above, but I think that is diminishing because the charities don't want them (or they go home with staff who like them vs being distributed etc). So this year we are focusing more on wheelchair quilts, walker bags etc for local nursing homes.

In that note - does anyone have a good idea for a carry bag for someone in a wheelchair that does not go on the back? We need plans/ideas/patterns for something that could be accessible by the person sitting in the wheelchair - if we put one on the side it catches in the wheels, on the back they can't reach it... I'm sure someone has the right idea????

Our guild partners with a local church that sponsors new immigrants, and they always want more quilts for the families.

I quit donating to most places as they have become too picky and too many rules put on a good deed. The children's hospital here loves quilts and will give them out to every patient that wants one. The nurses say the quilts put a smile on the kids faces and that is good for everyone. Those quilts go home with the patient, not laundered at the hospital. Some long term patients have more then one quilt. The assisted living seemed to be iffy if the quilt goes back the owner at times. I made quilts for the CNAs and nurses that work at the local assisted living here. That made a big difference in trying to get the quilt back to the right person. I think they realized how much they wanted to have their own quilt and it wasn't just a blanket to cover with.

I think this is a wonderful idea, separate from making quilts for residents. The CNAs and nurses at most facilities are more often complained to than thanked. I wish I'd thought of it when my mother was in a nursing home.