Volunteers sought for MCC comforter blitz

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This article was published 17/01/2020 (1955 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been said many hands make light work, and local organizers of the Great Winter Warm-up hope to see that adage in action Saturday at Steinbach Mennonite Church.

Quilters Elenore Dyck and Mary Martens have spent the past three months coordinating local support for the Great Winter Warm-up, organized in celebration of Mennonite Central Committee’s 100th anniversary.

The Jan. 18 event will see thousands of volunteers gather across Canada and the United States with the goal of producing 6,500 handmade comforters.

Last year, MCC North America distributed more than 53,000 comforters to people living in disaster or conflict zones around the globe.

But demand continues to outpace supply, so the idea of a comforter-making blitz was born.

Thirteen Manitoba sites have registered, including one representing six churches from the Steinbach area. Sewing groups have spent the fall turning scraps of unwanted fabric into brightly coloured tops and backs.

Thanks to all that hard work, the Steinbach area is on track to contribute about 300 comforters to MCC’s goal.

Just one step remains: tying the many knots that keep the comforters’ polyester fill in place.

Organizers are asking volunteers of any skill level, teenaged and older, to show up at Steinbach Mennonite Church on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

“If you know how to tie a shoelace you’re already on the way,” said Lois Janzen, who’s been sewing with a group at Steinbach Mennonite Brethren Church. “You don’t have to be part of a church—just come.”

Volunteers with more experience can also bring a sewing machine and extension cord and help stitch bindings.

Coffee is provided, and volunteers can bring a bag lunch.

At the end of the day, the completed comforters will be sent to Plum Coulee to be compressed into a bale and loaded into shipping containers.

Martens and Dyck, who met through the Threads of Time quilt guild, said they’ve been encouraged by the amount of local support for the project.

“I think that’s the big deal, and I think that’s what MCC’s hope was: that it would become a community,” Janzen agreed.

According to MCC, the durable and warm blankets can be used not only as a bed covering, but also as a room divider, carpet, curtain, wrap, or mattress.

“You’re contributing to somebody who needs a quilt but who also needs to be shown that somewhere in the world, somebody cared enough that they made this quilt for you,” Dyck said.

Those who want to help in other ways on Saturday can drop off donations of lightweight woven fabrics, like sheets, pillowcases, and duvet covers, or make a cash donation to the project.

Donations to the Great Winter Warm-up can also be made online via the MCC Canada website.

For more information on the Steinbach event, contact Elenore Dyck at 204-326-3941 or Mary Martens at 204-392-1134.