Shades Valley Lutheran sends quilts around the world

Members of the Shades Valley Lutheran Church have been working with Lutheran World Relief to help those in need all over the world. Since January 2007, the members of the Lutheran Church have been coming together to make quilts and put together materials for people who are in need, whether due to a natural disaster, war or poverty.

Kathryn Waters brought the idea to the church after witnessing others making quilts at a Lutheran World Relief meeting, “and I thought, ‘Well we can do that,’” she said. 

After bringing a group together, the members began making various quilts and materials particular to certain needs, such as baby kits and personal care kits. They also add materials to help the people receiving them learn how to sew other items specific to their areas and needs. 

After making the hundreds of quilts and kits, the church sends the materials to the Lutheran World Relief in Baltimore, Maryland, to be sent all over the world. The organization assists with disaster relief and helps reduce poverty, injustice and human suffering all around the world.

“We have about 17 or 18 countries that we sent to last year,” Waters said. “The most we ever made was 403 [quilts] one year and our goal now, we try to level out at about 250 a year.”

Since starting in 2007, the group has made over 3,300 quilts. The members of Shades Valley Lutheran Church have helped those all around the world and close to home. Only a few years ago, Prattville was devastated by a tornado, and the group was able to give the quilts and other supplies to the people affected. 

“We have disasters here in this country. One year [LWR] said just leave them there in Birmingham because Pratt City had a terrible tornado,” Waters said. “I imagine that some of them this year will go to help the people down in Mexico Beach and that area that was so terribly hit by the hurricane a few weeks ago.” 

Many Lutheran churches in the world participate in the relief. While not all make the quilts, many take part gathering materials for the quilts, personal care kits, school kits, baby kits, fabric kits and more. Last year, the Lutheran churches collected up to 35,000 tons of material.

“When people are devastated, they lose all sense of personal worth, like their dignity,” said Anne Sholl, a member of the Quilting Relief. “It gives them something to hope for.” 

The group started with about six older members from the church but now is a community and church-wide effort. The Shades Valley Lutheran Church gave around 2,500 pounds of materials to the relief organization just last year. 

“This young couple goes to a lot of garage sales and they always check it out and say, ‘These little old women can use this at our church,’” Waters said. 

The group is always looking for volunteers to continue their mission to help those in need in all corners of the earth. They continue to send the message that they are “compassionate to help those who have nothing,” said Waters. 

For more information on the Shades Valley Lutheran Church Quilting Relief project, visit shadesvalleylutheran.org or the Lutheran World Relief website, lwr.org.