Quilts Appreciated in Ukraine
Contributed By By Michelle Garrett, Church News staff writer
Quilts made by Church members in the United States are greatly appreciated by Ukrainians who are in need.
Article Highlights
- Thousands of quilts donated by members in the U.S. were delivered to southeastern Ukraine and the Republic of Crimea.
- Recipients included needy families, single mothers, and children in orphanages and medical institutions.
- Public affairs missionaries Stanley and Rosalie Nance report that recipients were amazed and grateful for the quilts.
“As we looked into rooms that had six to eight patients, it seemed the quilts provided a cheerful feeling in an otherwise humble environment.” —Stanley and Rosalie Nance, public affairs missionaries in the Eastern Europe Area
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Many members of the Church have participated in quilt-making activities, knowing these blankets were meant to help someone in need either at home or abroad. Many may have wondered, where do these quilts go? Are they really appreciated?
Stanley and Rosalie Nance, public affairs missionaries in the Eastern Europe Area, found out that in Ukraine, quilts made by Church members in the United States were, in fact, greatly appreciated.
Thousands of quilts were delivered to southeastern Ukraine and the Republic of Crimea over a period of several months with the assistance of the International Relief & Development, Inc. Recipients included needy families, single mothers, and children in orphanages and medical institutions.
The Nances said one recipient they saw expressed amazement that people from the other side of the world thought about them. Another recipient said when she held the quilts she felt the love of those who made them.
The Nances visited an orphanage of 170 special needs children. Each child was able to choose the quilt he or she wanted, and they said they saw one boy search until he found exactly what he wanted—a red and white quilt. He felt sure someone had made that quilt just for him.
The children take these quilts wherever they can, the Nances said. They take them outside to sit on in the summer and use them to keep warm in the winter.
Several hospitals received enough quilts to cover all of their metal beds.
“As we looked into rooms that had six to eight patients,” the Nances said, “it seemed the quilts provided a cheerful feeling in an otherwise humble environment.”
The Nances said they hope that next time Church members make and donate quilts, they’ll be able to envision the grateful faces of the many people who are truly in need and will be blessed by these efforts.
