Sewing for Charity: Donate your Time and Skills
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Sewing for charity is a great way to donate time and skills. Get inspired to sew for these charities with beginner and easy sewing projects.
I often lose sewing motivation when I don’t know what to sew. Sometimes I want to sew, but I don’t need anything. Without a need to fill, sewing loses a little bit of it’s appeal.
Well, you have an amazing skill of knowing how to sew, even if you are still a beginner, and you can use that amazing skill to donate your time and skills by sewing for charity. Sewing for charity always gives me the motivation to sew!
Before You Start
I have pulled a list together of charities that are taking handmade, sewing donations, but this is not an all-inclusive list. Some of these charities will pause their donations or only ask for money, and some of these charities will change what they are looking for.
Get ideas for donations at justserve.org. This is a website that anyone can put up their organizations service opportunities. To look for sewing opportunities look for “virtual” or “sewing”.
Other places near you that would appreciate donations:
- women’s shelters – women’s shelters might ask for blankets or handmade stuff animals, but I’ve also seen them ask for money, food, and diapers.
- animal shelters – animal shelters might ask for blankets, beds, and towels for the animals.
- refugee centers – refugee centers might ask for home goods to help refugees set up their new home. A refugee center near me asks for women to teach refugees how to sew.
- senior centers – senior centers might ask for fidget quilts to help their seniors.
- schools near you – Title I schools near you might ask for backpacks or drawstring bags to give their students.
Questions To Ask
Do you take handmade items?
There are a lot of charities out there, and many of them take handmade items. Check with them first to know what kind of items they want or need. Some charities switch between different items or pause donations every once in awhile.
What is most helpful?
Even if charities take handmade items, it might be a time when they need money or time donated. Find out what they are most in need of so you can give the most help.
Do you have a pattern you want me to use?
A majority of the charities I looked at had free patterns to download from their website. They wanted a specific item made and provided the pattern to make that item. Check with them before you make anything.
How would you like it delivered?
Some charities don’t have the time to process all the incoming physical goods. This is especially true during natural disasters when the volunteers time is so limited to helping with the disaster. Check with the charity about delivery before you send i, so that you know it will go where and when it’s needed.
Sewing for Charity
Dolls of Hope
Dolls of Hope strives to bring hope and joy to children one doll and bear at a time because we believe every child deserves to have a toy to cherish. We know how much hope, joy and comfort stuffed toys bring to children, especially children in crisis and children who have nothing.
Little Dresses for Africa
Often small children are left as primary care-givers of younger children, because of the death of their parents from disease and poverty. Little Dresses for Africa provides humanitarian relief to the most vulnerable of God’s children: little girls. These dresses, made by volunteers from around the world, go out as little ambassadors to plant in the hearts of little girls that they are worthy.
Wrap Ukraine With Quilts
We need your help to "wrap" the children and families of Ukraine with the comfort of a handmade quilt. Make any size quilt to donate to the Ukranian refugees fleeing their country.
Project Linus National Headquarters
At Project Linus, a non-profit organization, we provide new handmade blankets to children in need. Our blankets are lovingly made by adults and children from all walks of life and many different sources.
Operation Gratitude: Fleece Projects
In the cold winter months, we include a lovingly handmade fleece hat, scarf, or neck gaiter in each care package to keep our troops warm. To make this happen, we need the sewing talents of our volunteers across the country. Whether you make fleece hats, scarves, or neck gaiters, we have designed each project to be made by both experienced and novice sewists. These projects can be made with a simple needle and thread or quickly run through a sewing machine.
Operation Gratitude: Cool Ties
In the summer months, we send "cool ties" in our depolyed troop care packages. When dipped in water, the polymer granules in each cool tie will stay cool for several hours. Troops place them around their neck or tie them around their head for relief from the heat. Each cool tie is handmade with love by volunteers around the country.
Operation Gratitude: Drawstring Bags and Bandanas
The drawstring bags and bandanas we send in our care packages are hand-stitched or machine sewn by our dedicated volunteers as their way to express appreciation.
Fidget Quilts: Craft to Give Back
We are looking for sewing volunteers to make fidget quilts for senior living communities in Meridian. These lap-sized blankets provide tactile stimulation and calming activities for people experiencing challenges with cognitive change or dementia.
My Very Own Blanket
My Very Own Blanket is dedicated to warming the heart of every child in teh foster care system and children in need with a blanket, to give them a feeling of comfort, security and most of all, a SMILE. Handmade blankets are created through the loving care of volunteers.
Ryan's Case for Smiles
A hospital experience can be terrifying and traumatic for both a child and their family. While others strive to find a cure, Ryan’s Case for Smiles helps with the stress and emotional impact of illness in the here and now. Our whimsical pillowcases give children an emotional boost, while resources and tools help families better understand and cope with the experience.
Sew Powerful
Sew Powerful is a Christian ministry that exists to employ and empower people to pursue life in all its fullness. We do that by creating purposeful products that change communities-things like school uniforms, reusable hygiene pads, soap, and farm fresh food.
Make a Quilt of Valor
A Quilt of Valor® is our award to Service Members and Veterans who have been touched by war. It says, “thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.”
Quilts of Valor reflect the best possible workmanship and use of quality materials. This is consistent with the Foundation’s core value of promoting excellence.
Firehouse Quilts of Colorado
Firehouse Quilts is a non-profit volunteer group founded in 2003 to make and donate quilts to children/patients in crisis. Each year we donate over 1,500 snuggle quilts to those who have suffered accidents, house fires, domestic or sexual violence, and homelessness.
Emma and Evan Foundation
We support families who have lost the littlest of souls far too soon. Donated wedding dresses are transformed into beautiful infant burial gowns, also called Angel Gowns. These gowns are offered to hospitals, birthing centers, funeral homes, and directly to grieving families completely free of charge.
Little Angel Wings
To provide a small act of kindess when families need it most. At Little Angel Gowns, we hand sew burial attire for babies made from donated wedding gowns. We work with hundreds of hospitals and funeral homes, and individual families, to provide this special service. It is our mission to create comfort for the families that have suffered this great loss.
I believe small sewing moments can create great joy. Find your own “right” way to sew. -Heather