10.20.06

Mennonite Central Committee

Posted in Charity at 6:13 pm by Administrator

Recycling

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned the Mennonites as folks who recycle cloth and yarn into serviceable goods to donate to those in need. I followed up later on by contacting Barb Garrett, a long time volunteer with a Mennonite Central Committe’s thrift store, in Pennsylvania. I asked her for contact information for them and this is what she said:

“This is a link for the locations of the thrift stores in the US where fabrics and yarn are sold to raise funds to send relief materials where needed” –
http://www.mcc.org/thrift/shop/us/

“I work in one of the thrift stores — Morgantown PA — and sort the fabrics, yarns, and other sewing stuff. Most is used for resale. The fabric that is “slightly out of date, but serviceable” I take to this location so it can be made into comforters for overseas, or school kits and health kits if it’s heavier like drapery fabric. They have no use for yarn.”

Material Resources Center
517 Trout Run Rd
Ephrata, PA 17522
717-733-2847

“Yarn that I can’t sell I give to the knitting circle at the Brethren Village (Retirement Community) in Neffsville and they make hats, scarves and mittens for the free lunch kids in the Lancaster City Schools — who mostly come from warm climates and don’t know how to keep warm. I’ve seen videos of the kids receiving their gifts and thanking the ladies — it’s cool.”

Barb further states, “If you have serviceable fabric and yarn, and want to send it either to me or the Morgantown ReUzit Shoppe, I will see that it gets to the correct place. If you do decide to send it to the shop, please let me know so I can warn them to expect a package. Most donations are dropped off on the loading dock.”

Rather than publishing Barb’s e-mail online, please contact me and I will pass along the info. to her. My address is: pat@quiltersmuse.com

She also mentions that there is a list of Canadian Thrift Stores that accept donations. That list is located at: http://www.mcc.org/thrift/shop/canada/

I hope that this is an incentive for some of you to clean out your “stash” and share with those less fortunate.

To read an excerpt about the work of Mennonite women and quilts from WWII, please visit this link:

http://www.quiltersmuse.com/Passing_on_the_Comfort-book_excerpt.htm

May God Bless your generosity!

Pat