Sewing Business Blog » Charity http://sewingbusiness.com Tue, 22 May 2012 12:05:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Sewing Business Blog http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/1ab844e3a31cee7c235a5e9172e75cf9.png?s=48 http://sewingbusiness.com The Sewing Machine Project Makes A Difference http://sewingbusiness.com/2009/08/27/the-sewing-machine-project-makes-a-difference.aspx http://sewingbusiness.com/2009/08/27/the-sewing-machine-project-makes-a-difference.aspx#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:38:21 +0000 S. Denise Hoyle http://sewingbusiness.com/?p=742 The Sewing Machine Project

The Sewing Machine Project

In early 2005 Margaret Jankowski read an article about a woman who had lost her sewing machine in the devastating tsunami that had recently hit Southeast Asia.  The woman had saved for years to buy that sewing machine and had also lost her sole means of earning an income when she lost her machine.  Margaret was inspired to start The Sewing Machine Project, and she immediately began collecting donated sewing machines and then shipping them to Sri Lanka.

Later that year, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Margaret shifted her attention to that area of need and has since made five trips to the city from her Madison, Wisconsin home to deliver more than 350 sewing machines, which were distributed to individuals, community centers, and schools.

Margaret also encourages all sewing machine recipients to participate in a Pay It Forward program, where they volunteer to do sewing-related projects for other community groups, such as sewing infant caps for the local children’s hospital, or teaching other groups to sew.

The Sewing Machine Project has grown tremendously over the last four years and is making great strides in helping others to rebuild their lives, as well as helping some to start small sewing-related businesses.  Visit TheSewingMachineProject.org to learn more about the organization or to donate a sewing machine.  If you’d like to help out but don’t have an extra machine to donate, the group will also take monetary donations.

]]> http://sewingbusiness.com/2009/08/27/the-sewing-machine-project-makes-a-difference.aspx/feed 0 Volunteer Group Provides ‘Sew Much Comfort’ For Wounded Veterans http://sewingbusiness.com/2009/05/25/volunteer-group-provides-sew-much-comfort-for-wounded-veterans.aspx http://sewingbusiness.com/2009/05/25/volunteer-group-provides-sew-much-comfort-for-wounded-veterans.aspx#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 13:03:00 +0000 S. Denise Hoyle http://sewtoday.com/?p=86 “Sew Much Comfort” is a volunteer group that provides adaptive clothing for injured service members free of charge, in an effort to assist with their recovery. 

This nationwide group uses their sewing skills to alter donated clothing to meet the specific needs of the injured individual.  They provide free clothing to wounded service members from the National Guard and all branches of the military that will fit over large casts, bulky prosthetics and the like.

All of the clothing is donated and funds are collected to pay for other supplies.  Last year, The Hanes Co. donated 6,000 pairs of boxer shorts.

The Sew Much Comfort group sends out the clothing, along with a kit that includes instructions and all the needed supplies to volunteers.  Typical clothing alterations include replacing seams with bias tape and Velcro so that a garment is more comfortable for someone who has trouble lifting an arm or leg.

These volunteers work at home at their own pace and do a great service by making the recovery time just a little easier for our wounded service members.

To learn more about Sew Much Comfort, or to volunteer your services and “sew your support for the troops”, visit their website at www.sewmuchcomfort.org.

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