The San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Sewing Guild recently presented 20 hand-made child-sized quilts to the Hays County Child Protective Board Remme Rainbow Room to distribute to abused and neglected children who had been removed from their homes with only the clothes on their backs.
“It is the mission of our SMUUF Sewing Guild to create these small quilts to donate to several organizations in our community that serve children in need or aging adults,” Jeanie Lewis, SMUUF Social Justice Co-Chair, said. “We have been donating to the Child Protective Board for several years now through our Sewing Guild and through our annual Donate-the-Plate program.'
'Our mission is to link the citizens of Hays County, the Commissioners Court and Child Protective Services to enhance services to children and families,” Abby Mendez-Villegas, Child Protective Board Remme Rainbow Room assistant, explained. 'The quilts will be distributed on an as needed basis — in other words, a worker or investigator will stop by our Rainbow Room and select the item if they know the child doesn't have a throw blanket or could use the quilt as a comfort item.'
Mendez-Villegas said the Remme Rainbow Room provides “24/7 access to a supply of new and unused emergency items for children in crisis. This includes — but is not limited to car seats for ages 0-10, diapers, clothing, hygiene products, beds and bedding.'
'When a child is removed from home, they generally leave with only the clothes they are wearing,” Mendez-Villegas said. “When a child receives items, such as a hand-made quilt, it can be comforting during the transition to substitute care. Being given something that has never belonged to someone else, while you are adapting to life in a place that is not home, can be quite impactful.'
Mendez-Villegas expressed her gratitude to the SMUUF Sewing Guild.
'The Remme Rainbow Room is grateful for the generous donation from the Sewing Guild,” Mendez-Villegas said. “The Guild has been an ongoing support of children in Hays and Caldwell Counties for several years and has supplied us with lovely hand-made children's quilts when we had not even asked, but they were always on time. It is beautiful to see the passion of the Guild on our shelves, ready to go home with a child in need.'
For more information about the Hays County Child Protective Board Remme Rainbow Room or the San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Sewing Guild, contact Jeannie Lewis, Social Justice Co-Chair, at jeannie@centurytel. net or (512) 353-2872.
Information provided by the San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
