Community Activities
The Quilters by the Sea participates in several activities for the benefit of our community. These include:
Shelter Quilt Project
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The Quilters by the Sea Guild made and delivered over 70 quilts to the Good Sheperd Homeless Shelter in October, 2006. Katrina Knight, Executive Director, Verna Mansfield, Administrative Director and Connie Foster,Office Manager accepted the quilts. The quilts were made from fabrics in our collections, to sizes determined by the Good Shepherd staff. More than 25 QBTS members contributed to the Shelter Quilt Project.
It was the genesis of Good Shepherd Ministries when the Church of the Good Shepherd opened its parish hall to serve the homeless a lunch of soup and a sandwich in 1983. From those small beginnings the soup
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A partial group of the Quilters By the Sea guild members who contributed to the Shelter Quilt Project. |
Good Shepherd staff (left to right):Katrina Knight, Executive Director; Verna Mansfield, Administrative Director; Connie Foster, Office Manager |
kitchen eventually grew to serve an average of more than 150 per day. Because of this growth, the soup kitchen moved from its original site in to the new, overnight facility at 811 Martin Street.
The Good Shepherd House provides a safe, clean place for those without a home. The Day Shelter guests may use the shelter as their home Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Showers and toiletries are available as well as clean clothes. A phone is available for our guests to find work, make appointments, or to contact friends and relatives. The shelter is also the address where one may receive mail. Donated books in the library provide a source of relaxation and learning for guests. A computer is also available to
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| write letters or job resumes. The shelter director is on call to answer questions and to refer guests to health and human services agencies. Counselors from Southeastern Mental Health Center are co-located with the day shelter. They provide services such as mental health support and drug and alcohol counseling.
The Soup Kitchen is co-located with the day shelter at 811 Martin Street. Meals are served at regular hours daily, beginning with breakfast from 7 to 8 a.m. and a nourishing hot meal from 11 a.m. until noon.
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Storybook Quilt Project
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| Quiltermakers display some of the completed storybook quilts at the September 2003 Guild meeting. |
As part of their Community Outreach project, Quilters By The Sea Guild in Wilmington, NC, presented the New Hanover County Library system with a cornucopia of storybooks and matching quilts. Funded by a grant from North Carolina Quilt Symposium, Inc. (NCQSI), the group purchased about 30 children’s storybooks featuring quilts in the stories. They then created small quilts to match the books’ illustrations, which were donated to the Library.
The collection is aimed at elementary school students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade and covers a wide variety of topics and reading levels. The subject matter in the collection covers all walks of life, through various historical periods in this country, including the Civil War and present day. Included are topics covering race and gender discrimination, loneliness, the illness or death of a grandparent, problem solving skills, cooperation, family issues when mom and dad are employed outside the home, and the sustaining value of a loving relationship.
The books will be circulated through area schools and enjoyed by hundreds of children and teachers alike. The goal of the project is to provide a means of sharing quilts and the art of quiltmaking with our youngest generation.
Salvation Army Project
Each spring, the Quilters by the Sea guild hold a "baby shower". Members of the guild donate diapers, hand made and ready-made clothing, baby quilts, and many other supplies that a baby or toddler could use.
Each fall, we put our sewing and quilting skills to good use by making clothing and doll sized quilts for dolls and bears. Some members create teams, one half making the clothes and the other half making a doll sized quilt to match. In December, the Salvation Army displays the completed dolls and bears and their quilts during the Old Wilmington by Candlelight Tour. Our gifts are sold by the Salvation Army to raise money for the Salvation Army projects.
Neo-Natal Quilt Project
Since 1996, members of Quilters By The Sea have made and donated over 1,000 baby quilts to the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit at New Hanover Regional Hospital.
These quilts are placed over the isolets of the babies in crisis, not only to block out the light and noise of the unit, but also to lift the spirits of the parents and staff. The quilts go home with the babies when they are released.
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