Mera, Athena, and Marcia with shelter donations
VA staff pictured with VA donation
The SaddleBrooke Friday Quilters’ donation being accepted.
Donation for dogs and cats
Janette and Linda with a VA donation
Janette Volz
Just like a child with a security blanket, a cat or dog with a bed of their own will feel more confident. To help provide some comfort for these animals, Marcia Webster and Athena Taylor, 2021 SaddleBrooke Friday Quilters Service Committee chairwomen, recently met with Mera Laurey of the Pinal County Animal Shelter. The beds, sewn by members of the club, will keep the animals off the ground, insulate them from cold floors, cushion their joints, and provide each pet its own space. Interesting note on the construction of the dog beds, they are filled with leftover cotton scraps from sewing projects, so nothing goes to waste in our club!
Mera accepted the donation of 44 dog beds and 48 polar fleece surgery blankets (to keep the dogs warm while in recovery from surgery). These are to be distributed to various area shelters within Pinal County. She expressed gratitude to the Friday Quilters for their continuing support of the shelter. The club has donated various sewn items to area shelters for many years; this is an ongoing service project.
Last years’ Service Committee chairwomen, Linda Crum and Janette Volz, were finally able to meet with five representatives from the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS) at the Tucson VA Medical Center campus. Due to COVID restrictions, donations had not been accepted since May 2020 at the facility.
SAVAHCS serves over 170,000 veterans, located in eight counties in Southern Arizona. As you can see, the need for additional health care items is great. In addition to the previously donated wheelchair tote bags, lap quilts, bed quilts, and walker bags, 50 cardiac heart pillows and 50 catheter bag covers were contributed for our veterans and their families to use. All donations were sewn by the SaddleBrooke Friday Quilters.
This donation completes last year’s 2020 VA service project for the veterans and their families who stay at the SAVAHCS Fisher House, which provides a home away from home for loved ones of veterans or active-duty personnel receiving inpatient care from the Tucson VA.