June 2024 Service Project Information
The upcoming Charitable Project recipients will be the Family Promise of Branch County and Bethany House.
This will be the second year helping Family Promise of Branch County, who have two homes for those who need temporary housing. Our members who live in the Coldwater area are grateful for our help in meeting their needs. Many are teens in shelters, homeless, living in cars or even just crashing on a friend’s couch for a place to stay, as well as families with small children.
Our second recipient is Bethany House who help with housing needs of refugees who come into the Kalamazoo and surrounding areas. These recipients are screened by the organization and given items to begin setting up a home. Quilts will be greatly appreciated by those who receive them.
Sizes:
Family Promise: Crib (36”x40”); Teen (45”x60”); Twin (60”X85”)
Bethany House: Crib (36”X40”); Lap (42”x60”); Twin (60”X85”) or larger
Looking forward to seeing your completed projects at Show and Tells as well as at the June 18th Charitable Event.
Holiday 2024 Lovies
A Lovie is a quilt plus a stuffed animal for a child. Our guild presents Lovies annually to children in various organizations, including emergency responders’ care, hospitals, daycare settings, foster care, homeless shelters and many others. More information to come regarding the planned recipients for our November 12, 2024 annual charity event and holiday party.
Lovie Guidelines are available here.
Past Service Projects
Holiday 2023: Lovies
We serviced two organizations for our Lovie 2023 charitable endeavors this year: YWCA and Children and Family Services. The organizations attended our November 14th meeting to update us on their services and needs.
June 2023: Bed and Lap Quilts
We serviced two organizations for our June 2023 charitable endeavors this year. The organizations attended our June 20th meeting to update us on their services and needs.
YWCA – KORU House
This organization helps in the rescue of human trafficking victims. They have a home with twin size beds that we are providing quilts for to help in their transition. Each person receives a quilt upon arrival which is theirs to keep.
Family Promise of Branch County
This program provides emergency shelter for single women and families with children who are experiencing homelessness. The need in this community is great.
June 2022: Twin Sized Bed Quilts
The June 2022 Service Project distributed 70 twin size bed quilts to these hospice agencies: Hospice Care of S.W. Michigan, Glen Arbor Battle Creek; Wings of Hope Hospice in Allegan ; and YWCA of Kalamazoo. The basic sizes for a twin-size quilt is 60-63 inches wide by 86-88 inches long.
Holiday 2021: Lovies
A Lovie is a quilt plus a stuffed animal for a child. Our guild presents Lovies annually to children in various organizations, including emergency responders’ care, hospitals, daycare settings, foster care, homeless shelters and many others.
Fall 2021: Holiday Gift Baskets
Lap quilts provided for the Holiday Gift Baskets project conducted by the Area Agency on Aging Region III Kalamazoo County. Varying sizes 36-inch to 48-inch and some may be a bit larger. If you have a quilt a few inches larger, don’t worry, all quilts will be loved and not all recipients will be in a wheelchair.
June 2019: Bed quilts for WMU Seita Scholars
Seita Scholars are students who have aged out of the Foster Care program and have been accepted at WMU, where they have the opportunity to attend for free; there are 35 Seita Scholars starting in 2018.
For these students, we made long twin quilts (approximately 90” long by 54-60” wide.) for incoming students to choose from. Matching pillowcases serve as a good way to store the quilts.
We also collected items for welcome baskets:
• Bathing sponges/puffs • Body wash/bar soap • Box fan • Deodorant • Dry Erase Board • Extension Cord • Feminine hygiene products (unscented) • Hair brush and combs • Hypoallergenic pillow • Nail clippers • Laundry basket (large, rectangular) • Laundry detergent and fabric softener • Lotion • Planner • Razors • Shampoo and Conditioner • Shaving cream/gel • Shower caddy • Shower shoes and shower cap • Toilet Paper • Toothbrush and toothpaste • Sheet set (Twin XL or Full) • Mattress Pad (Twin XL or Full) • Tote, 30 Gallon • Bath towels, hand towel, washcloths • Umbrella
2018 Holiday Service – “Lovies” w/Quilt
At our Holiday party, we have entertainment during dinner. But the highlight of the evening are all the quilt-wrapped stuffed animals (“Lovies”) that the members donate. In 2018 we donated 469 Lovies to six local organizations: Bronson Child Life Department, Elizabeth Upjohn Kalamazoo Community Healing Center, Family and Children Services, Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Sylvia’s Place, and YWCA Domestic Assault. Each agency was appreciative.
Service Project 2018 – “Binkies”
We made 152 children’s blankets (“Binkies“) to distribute throughout Kalamazoo County to many organizations. Binkies are knitted, crochet, quilted or fleece, and are sized anywhere between 36″ square and twin size (approximately 68″ x 90”.)
Cancer Center
We made and donated almost 100 colorful small (36” x 36”) quilts to decorate the West Michigan Cancer Center walls in July 2018
2017: Alternatives Pregnancy Center provides prenatal help to low-income women with no or little insurance. Alternatives offers a number of services before and after the infants are born and, being a private organization, they rely on donations. After the births, the mothers are given layettes, so one of these baby quilts will be added to each one.
2017: Hospital Hospitality House provides free lodging for out-of-town family dealing with the stress of having loved ones in the hospital. Two new buildings, one near Bronson and one near Borgess, will each have 2 queen beds and 12 twin beds. The Borgess Hospitality House is nearing completion and will be featured in the 2017 Home Builders Association of Western Michigan Parade of Homes. The Bronson Hospitality House will be built at a later date. KLCQG members’ quilts will be found in each bedroom.
Spring 2016 Service Quilts
Parade of beautiful quilts made for Kairos Dwelling, Rose Arbor, Wings Home hospice
167 charity quilts shared at June 2016 meeting, all headed to veterans at the Battle Creek VA Hospital.