Sewing a brighter Christmas
By SUBMITTED BY THE STITCH IT FORWARD SOCIETY on December 23, 2020.
Christmas can be lonely for everyone this year but Stitch It Forward Society of Lethbridge is doing its part in relieving some loneliness. Their volunteers have been super busy sewing stockings and gathering items to brighten 500 of our citizens Christmas.
“The best part of this project is that it is open to anyone that signs up for a stocking,” says Diane Herrick, board president and organization co-founder. “You don’t have to be struggling in any way, you just have to need a little boost this time of year. To be on our delivery list please sign up on our Facebook page by searching Stitch It Forward Society of Leth. If you are not on Facebook, you can email your mailing address to stitchitforwarded@gmail.com. Unfortunately not everyone will get one because we have limited supplies so we are encouraging people to sign up quickly. Stockings will be delivered between the 16th and Christmas Day.”
Stitch It Forward Society of Lethbridge is celebrating two years since this idea started to become a reality. When George Herrick suffered his second heart attack two years ago, his wife and daughter decided they could help the hospital with heart pillows and it grew from there.
The organization was the beneficiaries of a federal government grant to help people through COVID-19.
“We have some exciting plans over the next few months,” says Herrick. “We will be holding a grocery-buying frenzy where we will buy $50 worth of groceries for people in need. We will also be handing out Valentine’s gift bags similar to Christmas Stockings. Watch our Facebook page for more upcoming activities.”
Stitch It Forward Society has helped people that are isolating in other ways. By providing people the supplies needed, they are able to help make toques, blankets, masks, scrub bags, pillows, ear savers, and more. To sign up to be a volunteer, use the link on their Facebook page.
The organization has grown quickly over the past two years but are always looking for new projects. “We invite any organization in Lethbridge to ask us to knit, sew, crochet or quilt items they need,” says Cora Walkey, co-founder and vice-president.
New projects keep our volunteers engaged and challenged so we love new projects. Recently we took over the reusable bag project where we sew bags for businesses to use instead of paper or plastic bags. We are very excited to get this going in the new year.
Stitch It Forward would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season. For more information visit stitchitforwared.wixsite.com/mysite.
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