bakermom

I was thinking the same thing. Needy does not have to mean financial/tangible need. She could have seen someone hurting and gave a quilt to comfort them.
was this an "impulse" thing, or does this happen all the time?

applique

This happened to me and when I complained I was told that the "swapping" of fabrics etc. was allowed as long as a charity quilt was received. So I made a couple of nice applique quilts from LQS fabric and they were taken and substituted with a couple of patchwork squares made from WalMart
fabric. I now contribute to raffle quilts and boutique items but not charity quilts which are taken by other members!

Normabeth

My guild give quilts to areas of disaster - we get a email from our group leader asking for donations and we give what we can, the guild pays for the shopping. However, I do belong to a group that just makes quilts for charity, we meet once a month, we get a lot of donated fabric that we use.

WMUTeach

Yes, I would be concerned and want it addressed. I guess the best plan would be to discuss the recipients before the project was underway. I know that often guilds will give pieces toward one organization. We support a local organization that supplies quilts to veteran and another guild makes quilts for preemies for our local hospital. Another guild made quilts for 125 college students who had aged out of the foster care system of our state. Bottom line, choose who or which organization is going to get your handiwork first.

Sandra-P

Our guild gives to shelters, police and fire department as comfort quilts to those in trouble or need, but one year some were given to a non designated entity. There were those that found out and were troubled that some of the quilts we made were distributed to those who could financially buy them. As a result, there are some members who are not contributing to our community service now. This topic certainly opened up some strong feelings and now I do ask exactly who gets our quilts. I would be happy if my quilt was used as comfort to an animals shelter pet, to someone who is in need because of emotional crisis, or in a police car, or disaster, or sick. I don't believe in giving because it makes someone smile. Just my opinion.

BellaBoo

Right after I joined my guild, the group made over 50 quilts for the local Red Cross to give out as needed. A few months later a guild member walked in with a armload of the same quilts. She found them for sale at Goodwill. The guild President contacted the local office and was told the office had no storage space to keep such items and suggested we give money in the future. I know for a fact our guild members do not contribute to Red Cross now and probably never.

Daylesewblessed

I would be concerned if I found out that our guild's charity quilts had been diverted. I would first discuss it with the president and if no reasonable explanation or action was taken, then bring it to the executive board. All of this before opening it up for discussion at a general meeting. Guilds need to have clear consensus and well defined and well communicated guidelines on this.

FieldGuidetoQuilts.com

I think it's 100% inappropriate to give a non-needy person a charity quilt. It wouldn't be such a bad thing to sell it, though. If it's that pretty, the guild can post it on eBay and let the non-needy person buy it for a respectable price.

--my two cents' worth.

maviskw

I once gave a $5 bill to a man who gave me a sob story. We left him off at McDonald's as he had asked and then drove to the stop sign. We had to wait a long time there, and in the rear view mirror I clearly saw him take something black out of his pocket, fiddle around with it a little and then put it back into his pocket. He hadn't gone into the store as he said he would because he was so hungry. I didn't feel badly about that at all. I had given the donation in good faith, and what he does with it is on his conscience. God'll get 'im!

We were always told not to send fancy quilts to charities because they could end up on the black market. I try to use up fabric that has been around a while and I don't want to see it any more. Use sale fabric if you don't have enough at home. Hancocks Fabrics has a blowout every once in a while. Most of these are very good fabric, just prints that didn't sell. I have pruchased whole bolts of some real funny stuff and used it for backs for charity quilts.

You will be rewarded for your work . . . later! Save your anger for something you can do something about.

Peace!

ptquilts

This is why it is a good idea to ASK before donating quilts. Same thing with Katrina (hurricane), people wanted to send clothes, food, whatever - there was nowhere to store the stuff and distribution was a nightmare. Sometimes CASH is what is needed most.

As quilters we tend to think "quilts" as a solution when we see a problem. Like the saying goes, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

Save your donations for charities who specifically ASK for quilts. There are plenty of them.