With these recent colder nights, even we sunny Florida residents welcome the warm comfort a hand made quilt delivers. Trinity has a small, but vibrant group of women who meet twice a month to assemble quilts for Lutheran World Relief. The ultimate purpose of the quilt is to provide warmth, but it also supplies a solution for many other needs:
- a baby carrier, tied around a mother’s back;
- a market display, spread on the ground and piled with vegetables;
- a sack for transporting those goods to market;
- a sunshade;
- a shawl; and most importantly
- a constant reminder that someone, far away, cares a lot.
Last week, Mary Fran Howard, Peggy Schroeder, Martha Pfantz, Peggy Trapp, Nora VanDeest, Mary Lou Evanchyk, Diana Meyer, Gladys Dittmer, and Deaconess Liz sent 74 hand-tied quilts to the LWR distribution center in Baltimore, Maryland. The process of packing, counting, weighing, and transporting the 16 boxes was eased with the aid of Mary Fran’s husband Jerry. Actually, 76 quilts were assembled this past year. Two were donated to the Trinity Lutheran School’s annual Silent Auction fundraiser.
Lutheran World Relief helps us “follow” our quilts as they are distributed all over the world. In 2014, Trinity’s gifts made a difference to individuals and families in Peru, and Tanzania. Lutheran World Relief distributes quilts, food, school supplies, and personal care items throughout the world – including the United States. Our Trinity group gathers every 1st and 3rd Thursday mornings, to tie together colorful tops, warm lining, and solid pieces of material. The result is tangible, loving our neighbors with God’s love. In October, a beautiful display of the product of these bi-monthly gatherings will highlight Lutheran Women in Mission awareness month.