Proverbs 31:20 says "She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy."(NIV)
I especially like The Living Bible translation which says, "She sews for the poor and generously helps those in need." In other words the woman of nobel character has a heart of compassion to bless those in need.
As the women of our church began to look for opportunities
to live out that verse in our community, we discovered Mission Possible had a
need for donations of cloth feminine pads. It was heartbreaking to discover
that teenage girls in Haiti were missing a week of school each month because
they were too poor to purchase feminine hygiene products.
Without an education, many of
these young women would not have the skills to climb out of poverty, but more
importantly, without a Christian education many of these young women would not
have the opportunity to grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ. To think, a
yard of fabric, and a little sewing could dramatically change a life!
Although the ladies of Sew*Quilt*Share have been sewing cloth feminine pads for the past three years, we wanted to do something more to draw awareness in our community. So this past September we hosted the first ever Pad Palooza at Gateway Church.
The purpose of Pad Palooza was not only to support Mission Possible's efforts in Haiti, but also to invite women from our community to connect with us. Here is a look at the church fellowship hall before participants arrived...
Tables were arranged in "pods" to comfortably accommodate six sewing machines.
Stations were set up to cut bolts of flannel into one yard units.
Tables were set up to cut batting into manageable strips.
Supplies were organized.
Tables were arranged for those who wanted to cut rather than sew.
Table favors were created for each guest..
...and an area was set aside for food and fellowship.
Over fifty women from various churches in our community joined together for a day of fun and fellowship! It was a joy to see women talking, laughing with each other, and working together in unity for a common cause. A total of 377 pads were completed and over 300 pads were cut out!
I am also humbled to share that in 2015, readers of this blog sent packages to Gateway Church from all over the United States and from as far away as Australia! An inspiring display was created to show the location of each pad donor. Quilt Guilds, Girl Scouts, Church Groups,
and many individuals sent a total of 1,580 cloth feminine pads to bless girls in Haiti!
Words cannot express our appreciation for your generous support!
The day ended with a beautiful prayer of dedication.
We praise God for all that He has done...and is doing in the cloth feminine pad project!
Please visit these links to learn more about the cloth feminine pad project:
View more photos from Pad Palooza!
View more photos from Pad Palooza!
May you always Sew in Peace!
Sandra
This is really great want to help but would like the pattern for the bags or general instructions.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your willingness to help with the cloth feminine pad project. The recommended finished size for bags is approximately 11 inches by 16 inches. We currently accept bags of any design. We hope to post a bag tutorial to the blog soon, so check back to Sew in a few weeks, or if you would prefer to get started simply choose a pattern online.
DeleteOnce again, thank you for your heart of compassion to bless the young women of Haiti.
also there had been talk of using other materials such as terry cloth and cotton or linen fabric for the outer flannel
ReplyDeleteI would like to make bags for this project. Is the project still underway?
ReplyDeleteKaren Getty
karenirene55@yahoo.com
Yes! This is an ongoing project!
Delete