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Community OutreachMAY 2021
THE SPAULDING CONNECTION CONTINUES – April was Autism Awareness Month, and our friends at The Spaulding Academy used this special time to reach out, pay it forward, and honor local supporting organizations. The residents of the Wednesday House at Spaulding chose to honor the Belknap Mill Quilters Guild for providing their wonderful quilts! The kids made a banner, painted a large “Thank You” canvas, and made treats to share with the Guild (cookies are in the freezer, and will be available at the Mill during the May 12 Membership meeting.) What a great way to show their appreciation! THANK YOU to everyone who completed a Spaulding quilt –to include some special Guild angels (Kim Gregoire, Diane Malcolm, and Diane Orlowski) who quilted Spaulding quilts that were pieced by others. Many hands make BEAUTIFUL results! The recipients dearly LOVE them! Some of the children do not have photo release authorization, so we can’t publish photos of ALL the smiles, but please know there is joy aplenty when a new quilt is delivered to Spaulding! And the residents now know that we’re sending photos of the quiltmakers holding “their” quilts – and they beg to see them, again and again. The connection to THEIR quilt and THEIR quiltmaker is very real! MARCH 2021
SPAULDING QUILTS – THANK YOU to everyone who “adopted” a Spaulding quilt request – they are all covered! (See what I did there – “covered”??) While we can’t meet in person and present the finished quilts as we would like, we’ve tried to keep the personal connection between the Spaulding Academy resident and his/her quilt maker! Four quilts have been delivered – and we’ve got several more that are ALMOST ready for the next delivery! There are more photos coming! Beautiful quilts, beautiful smiles!! NOVEMBER 2020 We have begun distribution of our Comfort Quilts to the Belknap Nursing Home, some shut-ins supported by the Meals on Wheels program, and other local community support organizations. As quilters, please know the comfort and beauty you create and share makes SUCH A DIFFERENCE! If you've never made a comfort quilt for the Guild, please consider doing so! If it's been awhile, I encourage you to make another one! No need to purchase fabric, or dip into your own stash! We have KITS! The comfort quilt kits are
Comfort Quilt KitsIf you've never made a comfort quilt for the guild, please consider doing so! If it's been awhile, I encourage you to make another one! No need to purchase fabric, or dip into your own stash! We have KITS! The comfort quilt kits are
JULY 2021
COMFORT QUILTS - We recently learned that, thanks to your dedicated efforts, EVERY RESIDENT of the Belknap County Nursing Home now owns a BMQG-made Comfort Quilt! They love their quilts, and the sense of, well, comfort they bring. Many of the residents shared their thanks through photos. Many hands made this happen. Sincere thanks to all of you who work behind the scenes to keep our Comfort Quilt program running smoothly! Thanks as well for the Spaulding Quilt support! I have it on good authority that we will have three new quilt requests to “adopt” – coming soon! MARCH 2021
COMFORT QUILTS – We recently donated 12 more quilts to Belknap County Nursing Home. They were so very grateful! I know I say that about ALL of our recipients, but it’s true! Here’s a sample of some of the thank you notes the Guild has recently received. 
Completed Comfort Quilts ready for delivery!
JANUARY 2021
COMFORT QUILTS - At Thanksgiving, Ila Mattila, Michele Slock and I made up and logged in 60 new Comfort Quilt kits. We’ve placed them in the distribution bins, and just like magic, the Guild’s amazing quilting elves have stitched them into beautiful quilts! We have fewer than 20 left, and will be scheduling another kit-making day soon. THANK YOU to everyone who has taken on a comfort quilt! I know this is a busy time of year, when we all have a bunch of personal projects to finish, gifts for family and friends. Still the Belknap Mill Quilters Guild continues to pay it forward!! Thank you!!! A special thank you to Lynn Poulin, who has stepped up as an “unofficial” member of the Comfort Quilt committee. She’s (officially) a Comfort Quilt piecing MACHINE! We appreciate all the hard work behind the scenes! Thanks to our dedicated members, the Guild has been able to donate Comfort Quilts to the following organizations:
JULY 2021
PLACEMATS - June 30th was a special Sit-N-Sew, dedicated to supporting our Comfort Quilt program. Thanks to all who brought their machines and all their gear to the Belknap Mill for a FUN day of making Placemats for the local Meals on Wheels program. We ended up with more than 20 placemats from the day’s activities! We also helped quite a few members register their quilts for the upcoming Harvest of Quilts Show! A placemat - sounds kind of like a little thing, really – what difference can one placemat make? We’ve heard over and over again from Meals on Wheels drivers that this small act often brings the recipients to tears. It’s NOT a little thing to them! The Guild recently received this note that helps illustrate the impact:
MAY 2021 5th WEDNESDAY - Jelly Roll Racing in March; Placements in June! When there’s a 5th Wednesday, we have an additional Sit-N-Sew dedicated to supporting the Comfort Quilts program. March 31st was a 5th Wednesday, and several members tried their hand at Jelly Roll Racing! Some sewed at the Mill, and a few joined up via Zoom from their homes. The “Jelly Roll Race” was a lot of fun, and resulted in some really beautiful quilt tops! We are already looking forward to our next 5th Wednesday event (June 30th) during which we will make PLACEMATS for the Meals on Wheels program. We’ve got plenty of fabric scraps/strips/orphan blocks, and more than enough scraps of batting – so all you have to bring is your sewing machine! Stay tuned for more details, the Zoom link, etc. MARCH 2021
PLACEMATS – When I dropped off some masks with the Meals On Wheels program coordinator at the Senior Citizen Center, I asked if they could use more placemats, and the response was a resounding YES!!! Several of the recipients called the Senior Citizen Center to express their gratitude for the bright and beautiful placemats they received over the holidays. Some shared that the placemat was the only gift they received for Christmas. So if you have batting and fabric scraps, please consider making someone’s day by making a PLACEMAT for the Guild! 
JANUARY 2021 PLACEMATS!!! - The local Meals on Wheels program LOVES distributing our colorful placemats along with meals! The drivers tell us the recipients’ faces light up with the gift of a placemat. Most placemats are rectangular, 12”x18” or 14” x 20” – but we’ve donated square ones and rounds ones and all kinds of placemats! We can make batting scraps available - if you need some, just holler. JULY 2021 MASKS: MISSION COMPLETE!! For fourteen months, members of our Guild have dedicated a significant amount of their sewing/quilting time to making masks. We began collecting masks on March 26, 2020 to support our local healthcare service providers, and ended the mission on May 28, 2021. During that time, we made and donated 7620 masks (and 211 scrub caps!) WOW!!! What draws people to our Guild, I believe, is our interest in supporting the community! BMQG donated masks to Lakes Region General Hospital, Taylor Community, New Hampshire Veterans Home, Spaulding Academy, Got Lunch Laconia, Got Lunch Gilford (and many other community school lunch programs), Meals on Wheels, Belknap County Nursing Home, Belknap County Corrections Facility, St Francis Rehab and Nursing Home, Lakes Region Community Services, Laconia Police Department, The Belknap House, The Salvation Army, Golden View in Meredith, Golden Crest in Franklin, Forestview, The Carey House, New Beginnings, St Vincent De Paul’s food pantry, and Laconia Housing. We received LOTS of very positive feedback, but more than that, I believe everyone who made masks – for our Guild, for family, friends, and other helping organizations – felt the love, and the satisfaction of being part of the solution. Driven by a purpose, this Guild can de ANYTHING!! MAY 2021 MASKS -- Our Guild members have made and donated 7438 masks!! You’re AMAZING! Thanks for continuing to make a difference for so many in the local community! MARCH 2021 MASKS -- Our Guild members have made and donated 7112 masks!! Can you remember when we wondered if we could get to 2020 masks made?? I know that we are all looking forward to a time when masks are no longer required, but for now, they remain an important part of the “landscape.” Our mask donations – to Lakes Region General Hospital, NH Veterans Home, Lakes Region Community Services, Belknap County Nursing Home, New Beginnings, Belknap House, Laconia Housing, Meals on Wheels, and Salvation Army are ALL very well received! Thank you for continuing to make a difference for so many in the local community! JANUARY 2021
MASKS - Yes, we are still distributing masks to many local health and support organizations - and they are still very happily and gratefully being received! To date, the BMQG has made and donated 6524 masks!!!! Keep them coming!
Spaulding residents love their masks!NOVEMBER 2020
To all the Mask Angels out there who are still churning out a mask or two between other quilting projects: THANK YOU!! With the masks I expect to receive this week from those dedicated weekly donors (you know who you are!!) we will blow through another goal marker by having made/donated 6000 + masks!! (Not a typo - six THOUSAND!) Remember when we wondered if we could make 2020 masks in this crazy year of 2020?? Please know that your efforts are SO appreciated by the recipients! From a recent note the guild, from Laconia Housing:
JANUARY 2021 DONATIONS – In “normal times” (remember what that was like?) the Guild would gather during the holidays, and collect pajamas, non-perishable food, and other items to be donated to various local programs. This year, we were unable to do that. Instead, the Guild made the following donations to support those in our community who, especially in these unprecedented times, needed our help:
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