Treasureit

Here is my theory...if we give generously...it comes back...maybe not in the same way, but other blessings sometimes...if I trust an organization to share the quilts with a specific destination...and they don't I would bring it to the attention of the leaders and ask why it was done and if that is policy...if I don't get a clear answer then I would find another guild and or donate elsewhere.

However, I do know that most charity organizations are not all honest and honorable in every way...they are "real flawed people" in them. So don't fantasize that your donations are all going where you intended....but my thinking is that once I give it...the responsibility moves from me to them and if they are dishonest...then they are accountable for their actions.

Peckish

I could not agree with this more. Back when the tsunami hit Japan, I posted on my blog about NOT sending them quilts, because their infrastructure was in such chaos it would only add to the problem. I got flamed and scolded for that. I chose to donate a couple of quilts to a veteran's shelter that had just opened up and had nothing but sleeping bags for the poor guys. They were extremely grateful.

wildyard

I make and donate comfort quilts most of the time. I don't like to go thru the big organized groups for only one reason; I like to reach out to my own local community. I hear word of mouth or I ask around to find the person I will make the quilt for, or I would take to my local hospital oncology unit or dialysis unit if I ever got ahead. I also make comfort quilts for local military persons on deployment or injured. I seem to always have a list so I don't have to worry what to do with the extras. LOL

newbiequilter

I belong to two guilds. The smaller one makes quilts for the local cancer center and the homeless shelter. The larger guild makes quilts for hospitals, juvenile hall and various other facilities. Both community service committee chairpersons are very involved in their projects and I have not heard or seen anything that would lead me to believe that the quilts do not end up where they are supposed to be. However, when the recipient organization has the quilts, I don't believe we as quilters have any say about how the staff distributes them. Often times, non profit organizations utilize the skills of their "clients" in their offices. I would definitely not be happy if I saw one of my charity quilts in the possession of another guild member. I would think if your guild has knowledge that the receiving organization is not utilizing the quilts properly, the guild could decide to no longer donate to that organization. Now if the person within the guild is not distributing the quilts properly that is another matter - one which probably should be addressed by the guild's board.

quilter68

The Guild that I belong to has about a dozen charities. I can't give to all. I am an on-again and off-again giver.

I have my own charities.

The monthly meeting is : one speaker which we pay and all the rest is business. No actual quilting takes place.

joy

That person should be made to pay for that quilt or else return it.... what a cheek.... a friend and I made a charity quilt between us and never saw it shown... they are always shown to the guild members before they are given .... and there was always one of us there except we both missed one meeting nine months later.... guess what we think happened to it... !!!

cathyvv

What do you mean by "found out that if there was blood involved the quilts were discarded."

I can't imagine that anyone would donate a quilt that had obvious blood stains. (I could be wrong about that.) And why discarded? They ought to just give them back.

Daylesewblessed

I think it means that after it was used in an emergency situation, there was blood on it. Sometimes when quilts are used "in the field", conditions are not clean, and I can imagine both blood and dirt can get on the quilt. You and I would probably work to get the quilt clean, but the people handling the situation may not have either the expertise or tools to do that.

I know that in my mother's community the sheriff asks for used quilts and blankets that can be used at the scene of an accident and possibly discarded. Sometimes they are used to cover someone killed in an accident before medics arrive. I guess the lesson to be learned here is to find out the proposed use, and then decide what is appropriate to give.

A different point -- one shelter spokesperson asked us not to bring them any quilts that were so pretty that a resident might hit someone in the head for it. This facility needed durable, warm, decent, and clean -- not high end beautiful.


Dayle

cathyvv

I would be furious! While I'm certainly not the best quilter on the planet, it gives me pleasure to make quilts, and makes me feel useful when they are donated to those in need. I see that as a win-win situation for me and the unknown recipient of the quilt.

I belong to 2 guilds; both give quilts to local social service organizations (not government). I deliver quilts to one of the organizations for the guilds and volunteer at that organization as well. I KNOW that the quilts go to the intended recipients because I have seen it with my own eyes.

If I made a comfort quilt that one of my fellow guild members wanted, I would expect him/her to ask me about it and to offer a 'like kind' quilt that they made in exchange. Even then, I would be somewhat unhappy about it, but would respect the person for ASKING instead of assuming that it was ok to divert it to someone else.

Some people are nervy and take advantage of others because they don't think anyone will have the guts to object. I do.

cathyvv

That is simply wrong. How can people like that look at themselves in the mirror?

I've made a few quilts that I had trouble giving away because I liked the finished quilt so much. To me, that means that the gift to the recipient is greater, so eventually I manage to part with them.

While I could imagine keeping one of the ones I made with my own fabric, batting and backing, I can never imagine taking a quilt that someone else made for a donation to the needy. To me that is stealing, and I would never be able to justify it.