Foothills Piecemakers Quilting Guild
Philanthropy
The Foothills Piecemakers Quilt Guild supports various organizations in our community by donating quilts and other handmade items. Each year beautiful quilts are made by our members and given to those in need of a “quilt hug.” Our guild also makes tote bags, cosmetic bags, and pillowcases for different agencies. In the past year, we donated over 100 quilts to these organizations, in addition to the tote bags and other needed items. Our members continue to see this as one of our primary objectives in serving the Greenville community.
In addition to the many contributions from our members at each guild meeting, our quilters meet once a month for a Philanthropy Workshop to assemble quilt and tote kits and to sort fabric donations.
The organizations we presently support include:
Miracle Hill - Shepherd's Gate and Renewal Program
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Shepherd’s Gate is part of the Miracle Hill family and offers hope for women in need across the Upstate. Shepherd’s Gate provides clients with food, shelter, spiritual counseling, access to local human service agencies, and educational opportunities. The Guild makes quilts for Shepherd’s Gate clients.
Renewal is a residential addiction recovery program for women struggling with addiction and other life-dominating issues. The program includes individual counseling, education, life skills, relapse prevention, Bible studies, and devotional services. The Guild makes tote and cosmetic bags for the Renewal Program.
http://www.miraclehill.org/shepherds-gate/
https://miraclehill.org/shelters/renewal-for-women/
St. Clare’s Home
St. Clare's Home is an 8-bedroom maternity home for expectant mothers who are in need of shelter, safety, and security. Women are considered for residence regardless of race, religion, or background.
During their stay, moms are educated on parenting skills, family planning, independent living skills, and also have the opportunity to further their education. The Guild provides a lap quilt for each expectant mother, as well as an infant quilt for their new baby.
Julie Valentine Center - Hero’s Program, Teenage Girl Program, and Rape Crisis
Julie Valentine Center is the child abuse and sexual assault recovery center providing free confidential services in Greenville. The agency's mission is to stop sexual violence, child abuse, and the impact of these crimes through prevention, investigation, collaboration, treatment, and advocacy. The Guild provides cuddle quilts for children in the Hero’s Program and the Teenage Girl Program upon graduating from treatment. We also make cosmetic bags and fill them with travel-size personal care items for the Rape Crisis Center.
https://www.julievalentinecenter.org/
Greer STEP Program
The Greer STEP Program is a non-profit organization that provides shelter, support, and resources to homeless individuals and families in the Greer, South Carolina area. The acronym ”STEP” stands for Shelter To Empower People, and the key components of the program’s approach are to help people overcome homelessness. The program offers transitional housing, case management, financial skills training, life skills education, and spiritual guidance to help individuals and families rebuild their lives and achieve independence. The Guild provides a handmade quilt to each family that graduates from the program.
https://greerstep.org/need-help/
Piedmont Women’s Center
Piedmont Women’s Center provides free reproductive health care and counseling for the upstate of South Carolina and surrounding areas. The Guild provides baby quilts for expectant mothers who participate in health care activities.
https://piedmontwomenscenter.org/
Lily Pad
Lily Pad in an organization that provides a comfortable, child-safe setting within the offices of the Department of Social Services for children awaiting Foster Care placement. When a child comes into foster care (at all hours of the day and night), or their foster placement changes, they often spend time waiting in the offices of the Department of Social Services until their next placement is ready. Lily Pad creates a living room-like setting for children awaiting placement and gives them a place to comfortably rest, play games, do homework, and spend the night if needed. The Guild is providing a twin-sized bed quilt and a lap-sized cuddle quilt for the rocking chair at each Lily Pad location. We also make pillowcases for the children to keep.
Philanthropy Special Projects
Each year the Guild adopts an agency in need to help provide them with gifts at Christmas. Guild members donate cash throughout the year toward this project, and members volunteer to shop and wrap the gifts for the members of the selected family. In addition, the agency receives handmade quilts as part of their Christmas celebration.
The Foothills Piecemakers Quilt Guild is always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Some of our past special projects have included making quilt blocks for Quilts of Valor, making quilts for families in war-torn Ukraine, making face masks during Covid, and making colorful surgical caps for patients in the Pediatric Unit at a local hospital. Our special service projects are an important part of the Guild’s overall mission to support our community.