by Deborah Burke Henderson
4/12/2016

Holliston resident, Donna Allen, right, was one of 17 volunteers from surrounding communities present for the recent Power of the Quilt Project (PQP) all-day spring quilt-a-thon held at the Unitarian Universalist Area Church, First Parish in Sherborn. A UUAC member, Allen has been supporting this project for the last eight years.

During this day’s event, she hand-finished several quilts and affixed a cloth label to each that describes the project which is a joint partnership between the UUAC and the Rhododendron Needlers Quilt Guild of Walpole. Afterwards, she and PQP Coordinator Cris Crawford hung a sampling of the completed quilts in the church sanctuary for a week of display.

The Power of the Quilt Project mission is to provide men and women undergoing chemotherapy with handmade comfort quilts and to provide young children facing hardship with handcrafted fleece blankets and children’s quilts. Since the project’s inception in 2003, 2,120 colorful quilts have been assembled and disseminated to those in need.

A quilt is a tangible connection from the giver to the recipient which says he or she is a person worth caring for. The power of this caring can provide hope during a scary and lonely time. Even quilt recipients who are part of a large community of friends and family members find peace and comfort snuggled up with a homemade quilt.
 

(Colorful quilt patterns warm up the UUAC's sanctuary on a cold winter morning).

To learn more about The Power of the Quilt Project, visit uuac.org or read the blog at powerofthequilt.blogspot.com.

                                           The finished quilts