Charitable giving plays an important role in many quilt groups, and Tacoma Lakes Quilters is no exception. We have been engaged in charitable giving for many years. Each membership year, we choose one or more organizations to whom we wish to donate quilts or other items. Our focus is to keep our donated items within our local communities. Many of our members also make and donate quilts on their own.
2023-2024
-- Members are continuing to make quilts for Bridges to Blessings and Margaret Murphy Schools. Below is a picture of our most recent quilt drop to Bridges to Blessings.
-- For this membership year, our chapter will continue support for our host facility, Margaret Murphy Schools, and Bridges to Blessings (formerly called C.R.O.W.N.S.). Some of our members will also continue to provide quilts to the Maine Veterans Home and Quilts of Valor on their own.
2022-2023
--At the December 7 meeting, one quilt was given to BrendaD for delivery to Maine Veterans Home, and Carol made one quilt she will deliver to C.R.O.W.N.S.
-- For the current membership year, our chapter plans to continue support for our host facility, Margaret Murphy schools, and C.R.O.W.N.S. Some of our members will also continue to provide quilts to the Maine Veterans Home and Quilts of Valor on their own.
-- Over the summer months, six quilts were delivered to the Margaret Murphy school in Lewiston.
2021-2022
-- Our meetings were suspended in April 2020 because of the pandemic, and we didn't meet again until July 2021 for our annual picnic. Meetings reconvened in September 2021, but it took months to try and recover our momentum.
-- One of our members told us about a new organization that her church was supporting; and at the May 2022 meeting, we were introduced to Barbara Anderson, who is the coordinator for C.R.O.W.N.S, an acronym that stands for Cherished, Respected, Original, Worthy, Needed, Strong. Their mission is to help combat human trafficking in the state of Maine and to provide support for the victims. Human trafficking is the second largest criminal industry behind drugs in the country; and the statistics here in Maine are shocking. The C.R.O.W.N.S organization networks with other local organizations and police departments to help fulfill their mission. They also maintain a shelter in the Bangor-Brewer area to provide limited lodging, training, laundry facilities, social services, food, and crafts. Barbara can be contacted here: barbara.anderson@use.salvationarmy.org
2019-2020
--In March 2020, we donated $300 to our host facility Morning Star Lodge #41's Bikes for Books fund drive. Supporting our hosting facility and its charitable efforts is an ongoing effort for us.
-- Donations of twin-sized quilts to the Maine Veterans Home continues and is an ongoing effort.
-- On March 5, 2020, we delivered 17 twin-sized Yankee Puzzle quilts to Maine General Medical Center. These were made in a group workshop in March 2019. Quilts will be distributed to Maine General cancer survivors on October 3 during Alfond Cancer Center's "Day of Hope".
-- On January 15, 2020, our Charity Chair delivered 13 small quilts to the new Margaret Murphy Center in Randolph. The facility currently has 16 children in attendance, and the new quilts will be used for reading time and snuggle time. We expect another five will be delivered to the facilities in Lewiston. -- In May 2019 we learned that NICU in Portland would no longer accept our quilts. Subsequently we discovered that Margaret Murphy Centers for Children, an organization that provides services to children aged 18 months to 14 years with autism and other developmental disabilities, opened a new facility in Randolph. In June we donated 9 small quilts to their facility.
-- Beginning in 2014, we began making monthly donations to 2 local area food banks and backpack programs. As of Aug 31, 2019, we've donated over $3300 to these programs.
2018 - 2019
Our current membership year is ending, and we've had a busy one. We completed a record number of projects and donated to 11 different organizations. Well done, ladies. Our membership year begins anew in September, and we'll continue to look for new organizations that can use our support.
-- In April, we donated 6 Quilts of Valor to the Maine state QOV coordinator. Another 3 were subsequently donated for a total of 9 for the year.
-- On March 6, we held a workshop to make 10 twin-sized quilts for donation to a local area cancer center and the Maine Veterans' Homes. Prior to the workshop, one of our members donated 7 quilts to the Maine Veterans' Home. At least 10 quilts have been completed.
-- In February, we presented a check in the amount of $760 to the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care in Augusta, proceeds from ticket sales of our 2018 raffle quilt.
-- In January 2019, we held a workshop and made 150 bibs for local area Alzheimer's units. 50 bibs were delivered to the Togus Springs Hospice and Dementia unit; 50 were delivered to the Maine Veterans' Homes; and 50 were delivered to the Glenridge Nursing Home.
-- In October 2018, we donated $100 to the Carrie Ricker Elementary School to help support their library. Tacoma Lakes Quilters hosts a quilt show every other year, beginning in 2014; and so far, all of our shows have been held at the school.
-- During the 2015-2016 membership year, we began making baby quilts, 36" x 36", for the Maine Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Portland. Our first delivery of NICU quilts was Jun 5, 2016. As of Jun 2019, we donated more than 125 quilts.
*Note - in May 2019, we were told that, due to new hospital policy, the NICU unit in Portland was no longer able to accept handmade items. We are presently looking for another organization to accept our small quilts.
-- Each year in the fall since 2015, we have donated a quilt to our hosting facility, Morning Star Lodge #41, to be used as a raffle quilt to further their charitable endeavors. We also donate funds to support some of their other charitable activities, including donations for their Bikes for Books drive.
2017 - 2018
-- In the winter of 2017-18, we donated various items consisting of clothing, blankets, snacks and personal items collected by our members to Bridging the Gap, an organization that offers services to the homeless and those who are struggling, through the Augusta Community Warming Center, Addie’s Attic Clothing Bank, and Everyday Basics Essentials Pantry.
-- In March 2018, we delivered 125 foley bag covers to the Maine Veterans' Home in Augusta.
2016 - 2017
-- In January 2017, various items consisting of quilts, toiletries, linens, etc. were donated to Betsy Ross House of Hope veterans' home.
2015 - 2016
-- During the 2015-2016 membership year, we began making baby quilts, 36" x 36", for the Maine Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Portland. Our first delivery of NICU quilts was Jun 5, 2016.
2014 - 2015
-- 20+ "fidget quilts" were donated to local area Alzheimer's units.
-- In Spring 2015, two of our members donated 8 lap- and twin-sized quilts to Calderwood Home, an assisted living facility in Vinalhaven.
-- Quilts of Valor Foundation initiated a drive to make red, white and blue blocks for quilts for veterans. In April 2015, blocks were collected at an Area 4 meeting. Tacoma Lakes Quilters donated multiple blocks and 1 finished quilt to the state coordinator at that meeting.
-- From 2011 through July 2015, Tacoma Lakes Quilters made and donated 414 pillowcases to ConKerr Cancer Foundation, for distribution to area hospitals in Waterville, Skowhegan and Portland and to local area nursing homes.
2013 - 2014
-- 51 lap-sized quilts were made and donated to Project Linus.
2012 - 2013
-- 60+ lap quilts for patients in wheelchairs were donated to 6 different rehab, long term care, and nursing facilities in our local communities.
2011 - 2012
-- 70+ walker bags were donated to several different rehab and community facilities, including Togus.
2010 - 2011
-- 17 twin-sized quilts were delivered to Safe Voices, an organization in Maine that provides services to victims of domestic violence. One of our members subsequently donated at least 12 more quilts to the shelter.
-- Some of our members knitted and crocheted purple baby hats to Click for Babies, sponsored by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome.
2009-2010
-- Nearly 30 quilts, 36" x 36", were donated to Quilts for Kids, made from kits sponsored by Downy.
-- Baby quilts donated to Newborns in Need.
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