September 29, 2023

Quilting for a Cause – Together We Can Change the World One Stitch at a Time

When you give a quilt, you’re giving so much more than a simple present. A quilt is a gift of time, a gift of patience, a gift straight from the heart with love in every stitch! There are so many wonderful charitable organizations that welcome handmade quilts with open arms. If you’re looking for an opportunity to give love, we’re here to help you find a place to send your beautiful quilts, fabric, supplies, and donations. Thank you so much for everything you do! Together we can change the world one stitch at a time.

*Download the free crazy heart pillow pattern at the end of this article!

Find a Place to Donate Your Quilts

Below is a list of organizations that could use your help and sewing skills! You can give finished quilts, fabric, supplies, monetary donations, and more. Click on each link to learn more.

Thank you for taking the time to make a difference.

Quilts for Children in Need

Babies in Need

Every baby deserves to be safe, warm, fed, protected and loved! Babies in Need works with local social workers to ensure that every newborn in Southwest Washington has essential clothing, bedding and car seats. Our gift packs provide these and other items parents need during their baby’s first three months of life. babiesinneed.org

Binky Patrol

Binky Patrol is an all volunteer, national, non-profit organization making and distributing homemade blankets to children born HIV+, drug-addicted, infected with AIDS or other chronic and terminal illnesses, those who are abused, in foster care, or experiencing trauma of any kind. www.binkypatrol.org

The Cradle

The Cradle is one of the foremost adoption agencies in the country. They provide lifelong support for all who are touched by adoption—birth parents, adopted persons, and adoptive parents. The Cradle is committed to finding a loving home for every child entrusted to their care. www.cradle.org

Komfort 4 Kids

The Komfort 4 Kids Project is a completely volunteer-based, non-profit group that relies on the support and generosity of the community to help make a difference in children’s lives. They coordinate the collection and distribution of new, handmade blankets to organisations that deal with sick, traumatised, or needy children in Australia. www.komfort4kidsproject.websyte.com.au/

Little Lambs Foundation for Kids

The Little Lambs Foundation for Kids has a mission to uplift struggling families and foster youth by providing necessary items that no child should have to go without. www.littlelambsofutah.org

Newborns in Need

Newborns in Need, Inc. is a charity organized to help take care of needy babies. NIN volunteers provide care necessities to agencies and hospitals serving premature, ill, or impoverished newborns. Newborns In Need distributes items free of charge to babies in the United States. newbornsinneed.org/volunteer/

Project Linus

Project Linus provides love, a sense of security, warmth, and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.” To donate finished blankets and quilts, you can contact your nearest Project Linus Chapter HERE.

Quilts Beyond Borders

Quilts Beyond Borders is an all-volunteer non-profit organization which reaches out to under-served children, mainly orphans, across the world to provide a handmade quilt and spread love and hope. quiltsbeyondborders.wordpress.com/about/

Quilts for Kids

Quilts for Kids is a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming fabrics into patchwork quilts to comfort children facing serious illness, trauma, abuse, and natural disasters. www.quiltsforkids.org

Quilts from Caring Hands

Quilts from Caring Hands makes and distributes quilts at no charge to children-at-risk in Oregon: the homeless, those in foster care, visually impaired, abused, those with mental health issues. Our quilts are given to agencies that work with children from birth to age 18. quiltsfromcaringhands.com

Shriners Hospital for Children

Shriners Hospitals for Children is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, research and outstanding medical education. All services are provided in a family-centered environment, regardless of the families’ ability to pay. www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/shc

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

They believe that a bed is a basic need for the proper physical, emotional, and mental support that a child needs. Across the U.S., too many children go without a bed to sleep on. They end up sleeping on couches, blankets, and even floors. This can affect their happiness and health. Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a group of volunteers dedicated to building, assembling and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need. www.shpbeds.org

Wrap Them in Love

The mission of Wrap Them in Love is to collect donated quilts and distribute them to children around the world, so they can be wrapped in love and comfort. As we all know, a quilt is a very special thing. It isn’t just a blanket; it has been lovingly created by a real person. A quilter leaves a part of themselves in every quilt they make. The child who receives it will be able to snuggle up in all the love and comfort that comes in that quilt. www.wraptheminlove.org


Quilts for Animals

Snuggles Project

The Snuggles Project remains a very popular program of Hugs Society (formerly Hugs for Homeless Animals). Its popularity is worldwide. People from all around the world make Snuggles and donate them to their local animal shelters and rescues. Since its inception we have provided more than a million Snuggles to shelter animals around the world. www.snugglesproject.org


Quilts for Disaster Relief

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies. For over 130 years, the Red Cross has provided comfort, care and necessities to those affected by disaster including immediate assistance for food, shelter, clothing and emotional support. www.redcross.org


Quilts for Cancer Patients & Survivors

Cancer Support Community (a.k.a. Gilda’s Club)

As the largest professionally led nonprofit network of cancer support worldwide, the Cancer Support Community is dedicated to ensuring that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action, and sustained by community. They are here to provide relevant and highly personalized support when and where it is needed most because “Community is Stronger than Cancer.” www.cancersupportcommunity.org

Quilt for a Cause

Quilt for a Cause organizes the donation and marketing of hand-crafted quilts, quilt-related products and activities to raise and distribute funds to organizations in Arizona that provide treatment, support services and research for breast and gynecologic cancers. www.quiltforacause.org

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance brings together the leading research teams and cancer specialists of Fred Hutch, Seattle Children’s, and UW Medicine. Their mission is the pursuit of better, longer, richer lives for their patients. www.seattlecca.org

Victoria’s Quilts

The mission of Victoria’s Quilts is To provide handmade quilts to a specific cancer patient or treatment facility. By providing these quilts we hope to help the cancer patients feel “Just a Little Warmer and a Little More Comfortable©.” www.victoriasquilts.com


Quilts for Veterans & Active Military

Quilts of Honor

The mission of Quilts of Honor is to bestow a universal symbol and token of thanks, solace, and remembrance to those who serve in harm’s way to protect and defend our lives and freedoms. Quilts of Honor are made by the loving hands of countless volunteers who wish to thank those who have served and to honor their service and sacrifice. www.quiltsofhonor.org

Quilts of Valor

The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover Service Members and Veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor. www.qovf.org


Additional Charities for Quilt Donations

Additional charities for quilt donations

Daniel’s Heart Foundation

To bring relief to those who suddenly find themselves experiencing life-long illness, disease, or physical trauma and are being cared for in their homes. www.danielsheart.com

Daughters of the American Revolution

The Daughters of the American Revolution is an organization with a deeply rich history while also being truly relevant in today’s world. More than 1,000,000 women have joined the organization since it was founded over 125 years ago. They became members to honor their heritage as well as make a difference in their communities across the country and the world. www.dar.org

The Giving Quilt Inc.

The Giving Quilt, Inc. is a public, non-profit, charitable organization that promotes the creation and presentation of quilts that provide comfort to children and adults, and works to increase public awareness with a biennial public quilt exhibit and presentation ceremony. The Giving Quilt invites all quilters to participate by donating quilts, either through participation at Giving Quilt sponsored sew days or through the biennial quilt show. Quilters and non-quilters are encouraged to join and participate through donations and assisting at the show. https://thegivingquiltinc.com/

Hearts Knit Together

Hearts Knit Together is a non-profit organization that delivers much needed personal items to those escaping domestic violence, sexual abuse, or war. Our volunteers collect, craft, and assemble these kits which include hygiene items, toys, games, puzzles, clothing, and stuffed animals for the children. These kits are distributed through Domestic Violence Shelters, victim support centers, and refugee organizations, to children and adults across the state of Utah. Our mission is to offer joy and order in the lives of those in our community who need it the most. www.heartsknittogether.org

Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS

Each quilt donated to Hopes & Dreams from generous and selfless quilters across the country is sold to raise funds for ALS research. Hopes & Dreams, Inc. is a registered nonprofit with 100% of sales going to ALS research. Hopes & Dreams, Inc. is supported and funded in full by Quilters Dream Batting. www.hopesanddreams.quiltersdreambatting.com

Love, INC of Columbia, MO

Love Inc. seeks to help those struggling with poverty by listening without judgment, facing reality, finding hope, and partnering for change. They do this by receiving, organizing, and deploying resources and volunteers to address material, informational, and relational poverty. www.columbialoveinc.org

Mito Quilts of Hope

Mito Quilts of Hope Charity Quilts is a project whose goal is to give a quilt to every patient with Mitochondrial Disease (Mito) in Canada and the United States within 5 years. Due to Christine Knox’s own diagnosis of Mito, she conceived the project in August of 2013, to raise awareness of this rare genetic disease. Mitoquiltsofhope.org

New Moms

New Moms partners with families to construct the foundation of well-being by strengthening core life skills, incorporating early childhood development supports, building pathways to and preparation for education and employment, and expanding positive social networks and access to community resources. newmoms.org

Operation Happy Nurse

To help all nurses struggling with stress, anxiety and/or depression by offering a community focused on improving overall mental health and physical wellbeing. www.operationhappynurse.com

Ronald McDonald House Charities

They believe in supporting families around the world and helping them access the medical care and resources they need. www.rmhc.org

Stitchers Mending Hearts, Inc.

Stitcher’s Mending Hearts is a Non-Profit organization doing good for the needy by using our crafting talents to bring a smile to someone in need. www.facebook.com/stitchersmendinghearts

Tubman

Tubman helps women, men, youth and families who have experienced relationship violence, elder abuse, addiction, sexual exploitation or other forms of trauma. Throughout the Twin Cities in Minnesota, Tubman provides safe shelter, legal services, mental and chemical health counseling, elder abuse resources, youth programming and community education, including public information campaigns to provide community members the information and support they need to get help or give help. www.tubman.org

Young Parents Network

YPN was founded in 1985 by community leaders who recognized that there was a lack of support for young families in Cedar Rapids. Since that time YPN has taken on a leadership role in East Central Iowa as the provider of ongoing comprehensive year round programs that meet the most critical needs of thousands of families within our community. www.ypniowa.org


There are so many ways to give love! Explore our kits to find several projects that make wonderful charitable donations and thoughtful gifts. For more inspiration, hop on over to our tutorials page for project & gift ideas.

A quilt is a gift from the heart, one that gives tangible comfort to those in need. We encourage you to take a closer look at your community and even your own friends and family. Who needs a quilt? What are your favorite charitable organizations?

 

 

 

Written by Danae M.