Quilting for a Cause
You can make a difference...one stitch at a time.
We all know quilters have huge hearts and if you are looking for outlets that need your sewing and quilting love, consider making quilts or blankets for a charitable organization! Giving the gift of a handmade quilt can brighten anyone's day and bring warmth and comfort for years to come. We have compiled a list of organizations below that would be thrilled to receive donations.
Donate Quilts to Children
ABC Quilts (At Risk Babies and Children’s Quilts) was founded to give love and comfort to at-risk babies in the form of a handmade quilts.
The purpose of Bags of Love is to provide necessities and comfort items to children who are in crisis due to neglect, abuse, poverty or homelessness. Each bag contains basic necessities and a quilt or blanket.
Project Linus (yes, it is in fact named for the popular Peanuts character) aims to provide love and security for seriously ill, or children in need. Many children find comfort in a ‘blankie’, and Project Linus delivers them to hospitals, shelters, social service agencies, or anywhere else love is needed.
Quilts Beyond Borders provides quilts to orphans around the world. Originally, Quilts Beyond Borders focused on Ethiopia, but has now expanded to spreading love and hope to 25 other countries. Currently, Quilts Beyond Borders is focusing on Syrian refugees, and children living in the Navajo Nation.
Ronald McDonald House Charities
The Ronald McDonald House supports children and their families while their children receive medical care. The work to keep parents close to their hospitalized child, and provide safe spaces and experiences for patients and their families. Every child who checks into the Ronald McDonald House of Rochester, Minnesota, receives a handmade blanket to keep.
Wrap Them in Love distributes donated quilts to children around the world. In 1980, founder Ellen Sime, adopted two children from Korea. While waiting for her adopted children, Ellen thought “Was someone holding her when she cried? Was he fed and taken care of properly? Did someone hug him?” So she began Wrap Them in Love, to send love and hugs around the world for children who need them.
Making unique pillow cases to help children in hospitals as they are going through a difficult time.
Fleece blankets or quilts for children in foster care.
Newborns in Need is a charity organized to help take care of needy babies. NIN volunteers provide care necessities to agencies and hospitals serving premature, ill, or impoverished newborns. Newborns In Need distributes items free of charge to babies in the United States.
Each Night Night package contains a book, a blanket and a stuffed animal and is donated to homeless children. New handmade quilts are accepted.
Quilts for Kids is a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming fabrics into patchwork quilts to comfort children facing serious illness, injury or trauma.
Donate Quilts to Veterans
American Hero Quilts was established to provide a recognition and an appreciation to our wounded service men and women who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Gail Belmont, creator of Quilts of Honor, is a Vietnam era veteran who has been playing Taps at military funerals since 1969. To ensure that no warrior would be forgotten she began Quilts of Honor.
Quilts of Valor is dedicated to creating and distributing quality quilts to veterans. Catherine Roberts, founder of Quilts of Valor, began the organization after her son was deployed in Iraq. She had one basic principle: quilts = healing.
Additional Places to Donate
Care Wear provides hand made articles, including blankets and quilts, directly to hospitals and social service agencies to be distributed directly to patients.
Created in memory of Victoria Morrison, Victoria’s Quilts aims to provide comfort to cancer patients. Deborah Rogers (Victoria’s sister-in-law) remembered how cold Victoria was during her chemotherapy treatments. She hopes these quilts will help cancer patients be able to feel a little more comfortable. Victoria Morrison was an avid quilter herself, and helped Deborah start her quilting journey.
Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS
Hopes and Dreams is not an open quilt donation organization, but they host quilting challenges for ALS patients and donate to ALS research. Participants vote on the best quilts of each challenge, and winners are eligible for some great prizes!
The Giving Quilt is an organization that distributes to all kinds of non-profit agencies. This ranges from children’s hospitals, neonatal units, military organizations, and many more. You can donate a quilt at any time, or take part in their sponsored sew days and biennial quilt show.
The mission of A Quilt for Mother’s Tears, Inc. is to help comfort the mothers of police officers killed in the line of duty by creating quilts to honor the brave men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice while serving their communities.
Coffee Creek Quilters teaches quilting classes to women incarcerated at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, OR. Material and supplies donations welcome.
Forever Warm donates blankets of all types to comfort grieving parents after the loss of a baby.
My Brother’s Keeper Quilt Group is made up of individuals and groups desiring to help the homeless by making simple sleeping bags from recycled fabrics and distributing them FREE to those who need them.
Quilts of Compassion has been committed to its mission of “Bringing Hope and Encouragement to the Hurting” since 1999. The volunteers in their quilting division make 400 – 800 lap quilts a month. All of the quilts that are donated are delivered by their Disaster Response Team directly to those that have experienced tremendous loss in their community.
Wrapping Cancer Patients and their Families in Comfort and Hope, One Quilt at a Time
Local hospitals, especially children’s hospitals
Local fire stations
Local shelters
Nursing homes – especially those with Alzheimer’s patients appreciate fidget quilts
Local quilt guilds – most guilds have a community service program
Your area’s local Ronald McDonald house