More than a Meal: Crafting Community

Each month, quilting guilds throughout Calgary meet to practice their sewing skills, interact with other like-minded quilters, and create beautifully crafted items such as placemats, pot holder/mug rugs, tree napkins, and bags. These items are then generously donated to Calgary Meals on Wheels for our clients.

Janet Baily, a member of the Piecemaker’s Guild of Calgary shares her story of why she has been a supporter of this program since 2008:

“I got involved and took over from a former guild member. After doing Home Care in Kelowna for many years and some clients receiving some lovely placemats, I knew I had to take this challenge to a new height. I saw many of my clients receive their meals with a placemat and the expressions on the clients’ face were priceless. Sometimes a placemat is the only Christmas present they receive. Sometimes, because they didn’t have much money and wanted to give their neighbour a present, a placemat from Meals on Wheels was it. That is why I take it personally. We try and make them cheerful and for both men and women…. It usually takes a couple hours from start to finish depending on the placemat design. Lots of fun! Wouldn’t it be awesome to reach 10,000?”

In 2014, approximately 2,875 placemat were donated to Calgary Meals on Wheels.

We thank all our quilters for creating such beautiful gifts for our clients.

Each placemat is another example of how community comes together to help us deliver “more than a meal”.