[1] RICHMOND, Ky. (BP)–Most kids respond the same way when they receive a new quilt, said Wanda Meadows.
“No matter how hot it is, if you give a child a quilt, he wraps himself up in it,” she said.
Meadows, a member of Whitehall Baptist Mission, Richmond, Ky., is becoming an expert on kids and quilts.
Since she and her friends began their quilting mission last year, she has put dozens of quilts into the hands of boys and girls in the care of Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children.
The quilters have sewn and donated 170 quilts to the children’s homes and another five quilts to a children’s mission in Brazil.
Their labor of love started when the quilters made 11 quilts for young men at the Baptist youth ranch in Elizabethtown, Ky. Meadows and fellow quilter Jean Webb said they didn’t expect the boys to be so moved by the gifts.
“It was so exciting,” Webb said. “It’s like they all just need a hug.”
Meadows agreed, comparing the quilts to God’s love. “It’s comfort and security and warmth, and it’s there at night when you’re by yourself,” she said.
Every quilt has “God loves you” stitched inside and has a pocket the women fill with small gifts, including guardian angel pins made from scraps of fabric.
The women always are asking friends, neighbors and family for unfinished quilt tops they can complete. The ministry shows no signs of slowing. The group has 13 members and meets weekly. Special work sessions are added when project deadlines near.
“I’m a slave driver,” Meadows said with a laugh. “We pray for the group we’re making quilts for and then we get to work.”
Many of the women never quilted prior to joining the group, but Meadows said they have learned by becoming part of a team — something she understands because she is legally blind.
“I have problems with the colors, so others help me with that,” she said.